Legion of Death
by Nexus Seraphim
Summary: Sequel to "The New Robot." Jenny must unite with some old enemies,as well as new allies, to stop a deadly new threat, and more of Xander's secrets will be uncovered. R&R please
1. A New Beginning

**MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT**

**LEGION OF DEATH**

**"My Life as a Teenage Robot" is the property of Nickelodeon and Rob Renzetti. All OC's belong to me**

**For those of you who want to know about the hilarious mishaps that were originally going to be in "The New Robot," tell me so, and I will publish that new story. For now, read and review, and NO FLAMES OR INSULTS!**

**CHAPTER 1: A NEW BEGINNING**

"Jenny? Wakey-wakey, Jenny!"

Slowly, Jenny opened her eyes as her body powered back up. "Sheldon, are you done already?" she asked as she stepped away from the lab table.

"Yes, I most certainly am!" said Sheldon, looking at her with a look of accomplishment on his face. "Take a look at yourself!"

Jenny looked at her body and gasped in amazement. "Oh, my gosh! I'm…I'm more like a human!" she said.

Sheldon's new design for her gave her such a human-like appearance that the only way to tell she was still a robot was her metal skin. Not only that, but she had a figure that could easily make every famous supermodel in the world envious.

"Yeah, those are part of the enhancements I made to you," said Sheldon, folding his arms. "Do you like them?" he asked.

"Like them? Sheldon, I love them!" said Jenny joyfully.

"It took me four months to get everything together, but for you, it's easily worth it!" said Sheldon, winking at her.

"Sheldon…," said Jenny, touched by the boy's kindness. She suddenly gave him a warm hug and continued with, "Thank you so much, Sheldon!"

As she pulled away, she suddenly realized how close her face was to Sheldon's. Both of them stammered and blushed like crazy before finally pulling away.

"Umm…I'm glad you liked the upgrades, Jenny," said Sheldon, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Yeah, I, uhh…really appreciate it, Sheldon," said Jenny, equally nervous.

_

* * *

'The day is so nice, it's like heaven,' thought Jenny as she sat basking in the sun. She was sitting beneath a tree in Tremorton Park, leaning back against it._

She suddenly turned her thoughts to her and Sheldon. _'But…just what happened between me and Sheldon back there?' _she wondered. _'And what…what is this feeling?' _She put her hand on her chest as she felt a twinge inside of her.

As she was mulling over this, Xander came walking up to her, wearing his sunglasses and cap, which was now facing backwards. "Yo, Jen, what's happening?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh…Oh, hello, Xander," said Jenny, standing up to greet her friend. "I didn't see you!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Jen, you are looking good!" said Xander, looking her over. "Fine and foxy, robot-style!"

"Oh, do you like it?" asked Jenny, striking a sexy pose. "It's part of my new upgrades!"

"Am I correct in assuming that this is the little gift from Sheldon?" asked Xander, taking off his sunglasses. He already knew the answer, of course, but he didn't want to make it look like he knew, because Jenny would have probably tried to kill him.

"Yeah…he did it for me," said Jenny softly, a very light blush on her cheeks. (A/N: Jenny blushes red now, due to the enhancements)

Xander looked at her with a look of faint surprise, which suddenly became a sly smile. "Well, I see what's going on here!" he said, putting his sunglasses back on.

Jenny looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean, Xander?" she asked.

"You and Sheldon, of course!" replied Xander, crossing his arms. "You've got love-sneeze all over your face, and now I know why!"

Jenny's mouth dropped open, her eyes widened, and she blushed severely. "What! Y-you've got it all wrong, Xander!" she protested. "I mean, Sheldon and I…we, uhh, we're just friends! Yeah, that's it!"

Although his eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, it was obvious that Xander was giving her an annoyed glare. "Jenny, you may be a teenage robot, but you lie like a mattress!" he said in an equally annoyed voice.

_'Crap, he picked up on it!' _thought Jenny, realizing that Xander knew all about her feelings for the human boy.

The two robots began walking through the park. As they walked, Xander continued to discuss the attraction between Jenny and Sheldon.

"So, how long has this been going on?" asked Xander.

Jenny kept her eyes focused on the trail in front of her feet as she spoke. "To be honest, Xander, it's hard to say. But, if I had to pick a specific moment, it would have to be last Christmas."

(A/N: She's referring to the Christmas special, "A Robot for All Seasons") She turned to look at Xander. "I mean, he was the only person who still believed I was good!"

The two robots stopped walking when Xander spoke again. "Well, that doesn't surprise me," he said. "I mean, I don't know Sheldon that well, but I can easily see him doing that!"

Jenny took a deep breath, because she knew that the next question she was going to ask would probably get her in trouble with her friend. Still, she knew that she had to ask. "Hey, Xander, can I ask you something?" she asked nervously.

"Sure," said Xander, shrugging his shoulders.

"You seem to know a lot about love and relationships," said Jenny, mentally praying that Xander wouldn't flip out like last time.

Xander took off his sunglasses and put them away. "Yeah, what do you mean?" he asked, curious as to what she was getting at.

"Well, I just want to know…," began Jenny, "have you ever been in love before?"

Xander's eyes shot open at her question. They suddenly became sorrowful and he turned his head away from her.

Jenny was afraid that she had just screwed things up. "Xander, what's wrong? Did I ask something I shouldn't have?" she asked with concern.

Xander turned his head back to her and opened his eyes a little bit. "No, it's not that, it's just…," he started to say. He turned away and walked about five steps away from Jenny before continuing. "I was in love once, back on Mechanopolis," he finished.

"Really? Well…what happened?" asked Jenny.

"She…she died," said Xander. "I remember the first time we met like it was yesterday."

_

* * *

FLASHBACK: PLANET MECHANOPOLIS, EPSILON CITY, 2 YEARS AGO_

"Ahh, nothing like an afternoon stroll in Epsilon Park!" said Xander as he walked down the park trail. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, and a gentle spring breeze was blowing.

("I was enjoying myself so much, I didn't notice that someone was coming towards me.") (A/N: All dialogue in parenthesis will be Xander's narration of what happened)

As Xander strolled about, he didn't notice the young girl robot walking towards him. Of course, she was too engrossed in her book to notice him, either. They collided into each other with a loud BUMP and they fell flat on their rears.

"I'm so sorry!" they both said at once. "I wasn't looking where I…was…going."

If Xander could have created a hologram of what he imagined the perfect girl would look like, the breathtaking creature in front of him would have matched it in every detail. She had blond hair that went down to her shoulders, and fanned out in the back, near the bottom. She had bright blue eyes that sparkled like the infant stars in the nearby nebulas. She was dressed in a sky-blue dress with a short skirt and puffy shoulders.

The girl was just as fascinated by Xander. His shoulder-length brown hair seemed to accent his beautifully crafted face. His eyes seemed to swallow her up, to take her to some wonderful new world she had never before known.

"No, really, are you okay, Miss?" asked Xander as he helped the girl to her feet.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, sir," she said. Her voice sounded angelic.

Xander suddenly noticed that she was giving him a cute smile (of course, she already looked super cute) and giggling. "Huh? What is it?" he asked, wondering if he had done something strange.

"Oh, nothing, it's just…I'm surprised you were so concerned for me, sir," she said, looking at him, both her facial expression and body posture suggesting that she was shy.

Xander swallowed and looked at the ground, blushing severely.

The girl suddenly held out her hand. "Well, I'm DN-9," she said. "Call me Dianna."

Xander smiled warmly as he replied, "Well, I'm XR-4, but you can call me Xander."

"It's nice to meet you!" said Dianna as they both touched their hands together. (A/N: In Mechanopolan society, when you are first meeting somebody, it is considered proper etiquette if you give your ID number before your name)

_

* * *

END FLASHBACK_

"You might say that was the defining moment," said Xander, who was now sitting on a park bench with Jenny as he told his story. "After that, we were totally inseparable."

"It seems that not a day went by that Dianna and I weren't together. We did everything together, even the smallest thing," he went on. Scenes from his time with Dianna flashed through his mind: him and Dianna sitting on a grassy hill in the park, the two of them just socializing and talking, Dianna clutching his arm and leaning against his shoulder, causing him to blush…

"Those two years had a light in them, a glow from our own personal planet where nobody could touch us," added Xander, a smile crossing his face. "Before we had been together for even three months, I was totally in love with her. I was never happier."

"Wow! It sounds like you two were really made for each other…literally!" said Jenny in amazement.

"So, did you two ever confess your feelings?" she asked.

"Oh, yes we did, Jen!" said Xander.

_

* * *

FLASHBACK: PLANET MECHANOPOLIS, EPSILON PARK, 3 MONTHS AGO_

"Hard to believe, isn't it, Dianna?" asked Xander as he and the girl robot looked at the horizon, watching the setting sun. In the distance, the glowing lights of premature stars in the nebula were just beginning to become visible.

"Yes, it's already been two whole years since we first met, Xander!" said Dianna, her arm wrapped around Xander's.

Xander turned to face her and lifted her face so that she was looking up at him. "You know, it being our anniversary, I've got a gift for you," he said.

"Really, what is it?" asked Dianna, excited to see what the gift was.

Xander motioned for her to stand a few feet away from him, which she did. He stood tall and straight, cleared his throat, and said the following: (A/N: This is a poem I wrote one day while in the school library)

_It only took that moment_

_When I looked into your eyes_

_I didn't know it then_

_But now, I finally realize_

_As sure as day turns into night_

_I loved you at first sight_

_I thought that love would never come_

_To my poor, aching soul_

_But when I felt your touch_

_In that moment, I was whole_

_My heart cannot feel sadness_

_Whenever I'm with you_

_To you, my God-sent angel,_

_I give my love so true_

When Xander was done reciting the poem he had written, he looked at Dianna. "Did you like it, Dianna?" he asked.

At first, Dianna just stood there, looking at the ground. When she looked up, tears were running down her cheeks.

"Dianna…?" asked Xander, wondering if she was upset.

"Oh, Xander!" cried Dianna, rushing forward and clutching tightly to Xander's chest, sobbing. Xander immediately blushed.

"Xander, I couldn't have asked for a better gift…than your words of love," sobbed Dianna softly.

Xander pulled away from her just enough so that he could look into her eyes. "Dianna, those words were my sincerest feelings. I love you, always and forever," he said tenderly.

"I…I love you, my darling Xander," said Dianna, her voice just barely a whisper.

Without another word, the two lovers embraced and gently pressed their lips together.

_

* * *

END FLASHBACK_

"Dianna and I shared our first kiss that day, in Epsilon Park, with the sun setting," said Xander, suddenly becoming sad. "It was the happiest moment of my life, so wonderful that when it all fell apart, it hurt that much more."

"I don't want to push it, Xander, but what happened to Dianna?" asked Jenny, still wanting to know more about what happened, but not wanting to make Xander revisit too many painful memories.

Xander suddenly became serious. "It turned out that Dianna had a scumbag older brother named Jagger, who'd been exiled from Epsilon City for…let's just say that he did a lot of bad stuff," he said. "While in exile, he'd been building an attack force that would allow him to strike back at Epsilon…and he did! The day I left Mechanopolis was the day he attacked, and I went into action to try and stop him!"

_

* * *

FLASHBACK: EPSILON CITY, 2 ½ MONTHS AGO_

"Bow, Epsilon City!" cried Jagger, his hand stretched out in front of him. His long blond hair swished in the wind, along with the long red cape attached to his red and white body armor. Two spikes of hair, fastened to his forehead with bolts, were unmoved by the shocks from nearby explosions. Behind him stood an army of soldier drones, simple robots programmed to do nothing but fight.

"For soon, all of Mechanopolis shall be mine!" finished Jagger as his drones charged into the city, shooting and destroying everybody and everything in their path.

Just then, Xander shot through the air and landed just ahead of the advancing drones. "Not if I have anything to say about it, Jagger!" he cried, his eyes blazing with determination as he quickly assumed a fighting stance.

"That damn little meddler!" growled Jagger as Xander began to single-handedly destroy his drones. He would show that little punk what a mistake it was to interfere with him!

"Xander? Xander, where are you!" cried Dianna, who was running around the ruined sections of the city. She was scared to death that something horrible had happened to Xander. Suddenly, she saw him, about 50 feet to her left. At the same time, she saw Jagger about 15 feet to her right…ready to shoot Xander with his hand laser!

"Jeez, is this the best he has?" said Xander, taking two deep breaths. He was totally unaware of the danger behind him.

"Good-bye, you meddling punk!" sneered Jagger, firing the laser.

"NO! XANDER, LOOK OUT!" screamed Dianna, charging towards Xander and into the path of the laser.

Xander turned around…just in time to see Dianna take the laser right in the chest. "DIANNA!" he cried in horror.

Jagger lowered his arm and stared at the two robots with wide eyes. "Dianna…? My…my little sister?" he said in disbelief.

"DIANNA, NO!" cried Xander, catching Dianna as she was falling, her chest wound already bleeding severely.

"No…no! What have I done?" said Jagger, horrified at what he realized he had just done. "WHAT HAVE I DONE!" He turned and ran as fast as he could from the scene before him, shouting, "ALL UNITS, RETREAT NOW!"

"Dianna, hang on!" begged Xander, now kneeling on the ground, with Dianna lying in his lap. "Please, hang on!"

"SOMEBODY HELP! PLEASE, ANYBODY HELP, SHE'S HURT!" he shouted, looking around in hopes of finding someone that could help them. Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his face. He looked to see that it was Dianna. Tears were running down her cheeks, and her eyes were half-closed.

"X-Xan-der…," she said, her voice very weak.

"Dianna!" gasped Xander.

"I…I love you…Xander," Dianna managed to say. Finally, her arm fell across her body, and she was silent.

Tears began pouring from Xander's eyes like waterfalls. "Dianna…Dianna…," he sobbed, touching her forehead to his. Suddenly, he glared in rage, shut his eyes as tight as possible, and stood up with the body of his beloved in his arms.

"NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in fury, his voice echoing through the ruined city.

_

* * *

END FLASHBACK_

"Well, that's all there is to tell about that chapter of my life," said Xander.

With tears beginning to build up in her eyes, Jenny put a hand on Xander's shoulder. "Xander, I'm so sorry," she said.

Xander looked at her and smiled, although he still looked a little sad. "Thanks, Jen," he said. "But, it's not like I dwell on her death. After all, it's not like I lost her."

He looked up into the sky, no more signs of sorrow present on his face. "After all," he continued, "as long as you remember the love you share, you never truly lose your loved ones."

"Still, you get the point, don't you?" asked Xander, getting up from the bench.

"…The point?" inquired Jenny, not knowing what he meant.

"You need to be honest with Sheldon about your feelings," replied Xander, which provoked another surprised blush from Jenny. "After all, life's too short and precious to spend it alone."

"Catch you later, Jenny," he said before walking off, leaving Jenny standing by the bench.

"Xander's right, and I know it!" said Jenny with a determined. "I'm going to be honest with Sheldon from now on!" With that, she flew off with her jets, which had now been built into her feet.

* * *

Xander was watching from behind the shed that housed his hidden lab. He had secretly been leading Jenny in this direction, so he would be near it when she finally left.

Once he was sure that she was gone, he stood in front of the door, and said in a clear voice, "Robot Unit XR-4, Xander!" The door slid open, and slid shut once he was inside.

"Yes, life is too short to be alone," he said as he walked down into the lab. "No words can be more true."

"But, that will soon change!" he said, stopping in front of the glass tube and putting his hand to it again. "Soon, I will be done with the repairs, and then, we can keep our promise to be together…forever…," He paused for a moment to gaze at her. "…My precious Dianna."


	2. The First Date

**CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST DATE**

At the Wakeman residence, Sheldon was in his room, working on his computer. "Awesome! These schematics are going to ensure that my next robotic creation is my best!" he said with obvious excitement.

Just then, there was a knock at his door, after which Jenny came in. "Hey, Sheldon," she said.

"Oh, hi, Jenny!" said Sheldon. "Come and check this out!"

Jenny came over to him and leaned over to better see the computer screen, putting her hand on Sheldon's shoulder for support. "Wow, that's neat!" she said. "What is it?"

"It's the schematics for my latest experiment," he replied, "the Falcon G-Zero!"

"Whoa, that is awesome!" said Jenny, almost forgetting why she had come to Sheldon's room in the first place.

"Why, thank you!" said Sheldon, basking in the light of this compliment.

_'Okay, Jenny! Time to make your move, girl!' _she thought, although it didn't change the fact that she was insanely nervous about doing what she was going to do. "Hey, umm, Sheldon?" she asked.

"What's up, Jenny?" asked Sheldon, turning his head towards her.

Jenny blushed bright red as she asked him the question. "Umm…would you like to go out with me tonight?" she asked. "I-I know it's kind of sudden, but…well, if you're not busy…."

Sheldon's eyes were so wide, they looked like they were about to shoot out of their sockets like wine corks. Not only that, but his face was on its way to discovering new variations of red. "A…date?" he managed to squeak out. Suddenly, he sprang up out of his chair and took Jenny's hand in both of his. "Don't be silly, Jenny! I'd love to go on a date with you tonight!" he blurted out.

"Oh…okay, that sounds good," said Jenny, "see you at 8:30!" Without warning, she darted her head forward…and gave Sheldon a quick kiss on the lips.

"See you later, Sheldon!" she said as she bounced out of the room and out into the hallway.

Sheldon just stood there for a few seconds, his eyes the size of dinner plates and his face the color of a beet. "Uhh…yeah, see you later," he finally said in a very low voice. _'Oh, my God, did she…just kiss me?' _his mind screamed out.

* * *

Back at his hidden lab, Xander was once again working on Dianna. At the moment, she was lying on her back, once again unclothed and covered with the sheet. He was holding a small, electric probe, which he was using to fix the other internal workings damaged by the laser blast.

After about forty minutes, (this is delicate and tedious work) he reached over to the small table stand on his left and picked up the final component: the new primary cardiac control chip. He had spent just about every waking moment of the last few days building and programming this chip, so he prayed that it would work.

"Okay, this should do it," he said, lowering the chip into Dianna's body with a pair of tweezers. He heard the click that signaled that it was properly inserted, so he pulled the tweezers out and watched.

With a quiet mechanical hum, the hole suddenly patched up, and Dianna began to open her eyes.

"Excellent, she's reactivated!" said a very relieved Xander. "Dianna? Dianna, are you okay?" he asked her, leaning down near her.

Dianna's eyes finally opened fully. "X-Xander?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Wow, where are we?" she gasped in amazement, suddenly sitting up. Unfortunately, the sheet that was covering her was thrown off when she did this, causing Xander to freeze up like a metal statue, blushing harder than he ever had before and staring at her with wide eyes, unable to even blink, much less look away.

Dianna immediately noticed that something was wrong. "Xander, what's-," she started to say, but she just happened to look down and realized what the problem was. "YEEEEK! WHA-WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CLOTHES!" she shrieked, blushing with embarrassment.

Xander looked in the opposite direction, rubbing his arm. "Well, I had to undress you to make the repairs," he said, hoping she would believe him.

He didn't need to worry, however, because Dianna forgot about being naked in front of her boyfriend and looked at him in shock. "Repairs? You mean…something damaged me?" she asked.

Now it was Xander's turn to be surprised. "What? You mean you don't remember?" he asked her.

Dianna looked at her knees with a worried look. "No, I don't," she replied. "Actually, I don't remember…a lot of things."

* * *

That night, at 8:30 sharp, Sheldon was standing outside the Wakeman house, knocking on the door. He had had to leave in order to rent the suit he was wearing right now. It was his first date with Jenny, the girl of his dreams, and he wanted to make sure that he looked dressed to kill.

As the door began to open, Sheldon said, "Hi, Jen—HOLY GOD!"

"Hi, Sheldon! I'm ready for our big date!" said Jenny, who was dressed in a sexy, form-fitting red dress with a slit in the left side that went from the hip to the bottom of the dress. She was also wearing a gold necklace with a diamond pendant.

_'Oh, my freaking God! She's freaking Aphrodite in a robot suit!' _thought Sheldon as his mouth muscles refused to work. He was also on his way to setting a new record for times blushing in a single day.

"Sheldon, is something wrong?" asked Jenny, seeing Sheldon struggling to even breath.

"No, it's just…you're so…so beautiful!" Sheldon managed to say.

"Oh, Sheldon, that's so sweet of you to say!" said Jenny, suddenly feeling shy. "I was hoping you would like this dress!"

"I'm serious, Jenny!" said Sheldon. "You're just as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside!" He offered her his arm as he asked, "Well, shall we go, Jenny?"

"Yes, let's go, Sheldon," said Jenny as the two of them walked down the walkway and then down the sidewalk.

Unknown to them, a figure had been watching them from one of the trees in the yard. "So, that is XJ-9! Not much to look at, I must say," he said.

He was a humanoid robot with red and navy-blue armor. His hands, feet, arms, and legs were white. He wore a helmet, and a red sword design was on his chest armor and leg armor. He also wore a black cloak. His name was Excaliber, an agent of the Cluster.

"My mission…is to defeat her?" he wondered out loud as he stood above the tree. He leapt soundlessly from the tree and landed on the sidewalk, facing the direction that Jenny and Sheldon had left in. "Well, I'd best get busy!" he said, laughing evilly.

"Of course, before I go anywhere," he said, turning to look back at the hooded and cloaked figure that had just appeared behind him, "you're going to quit following me!"

"That's awfully harsh, Excaliber," said the figure, pulling her hood back, revealing her face.

She was Serenade, also an agent of the Cluster, and a humanoid robot like Excaliber. She had light green hair, red eyes, and a body to die for. She was wearing a red form-fitting body suit that looked like a bikini, with a gold belt. Her leg armor was also light green, and her cloak was black.

"After all," she continued, "we are on the same team, aren't we, partner?"

"I don't care if Vexus told us to be partners, Serenade!" said Excaliber in a not-too-friendly tone of voice. "I refuse to be slowed down by useless dead weight like you!"

"Oh, don't be like that, Excaliber!" said Serenade, sounding and looking cute at him. "Come on, admit it! If I wasn't here, you'd miss me!"

_'Ha! I got him that time!' _she thought triumphantly when she saw the murderous look Excaliber was giving her.

_'Freaking bitch! Who does she think she is?' _Excaliber thought angrily. Actually, though he would never admit it, he actually did like Serenade, but being the aggressive loner that he had been for so long, he considered showing feelings for those around him a sign of weakness.

"I…hate you…so very…very…much, Serenade!" he practically growled, pointing at her.

"Oh, you say it, but I know you don't mean it, big boy!" teased Serenade, giving him another cute smile.

Excaliber looked so pissed that he was on the verge of exploding like a powder keg. However, he managed to keep his anger under control. "Ah, screw it!" he snapped, turning around and walking off after Jenny and Sheldon. "Let's just get this over with!"

* * *

"Cheers!" said Jenny and Sheldon together.

They were in an Italian restaurant called "Ragetti's Fine Dining." At first, Jenny was nervous about coming here, since they weren't in the habit of serving robots. However, Sheldon informed her that her new design included organs, allowing her to eat like a human.

"Wow, this is a really nice place, Sheldon!" said Jenny after taking a sip of her drink. Sheldon had managed to convince the wait staff to serve them their soda in champagne glasses. Jenny guessed it was because he wanted to make it as romantic as possible.

"Yeah, I figured this would be the perfect place for our first date," said Sheldon.

Meanwhile, outside, Excaliber and Serenade were looking in through the front window.

"It looks like they're on one of those romantic getaway things," said Excaliber as he observed the two teens.

"It's called a 'date,' Excaliber," said Serenade, suddenly looking like she was lost in a daydream. "Just imagine, being with your special someone in those settings…Ahh, it's so romantic!" she said dreamily.

Excaliber stared at Serenade as if she had just lost her marbles. _'What is this romantic-minded simpleton doing with the Cluster?' _he thought. Tossing it aside, he gave her his "ready for action" smile and asked, "Well, Serenade, shall we go and say 'hi'?"

"But, of course, partner!" said Serenade, returning his look.

Instead of smashing through the window, the two robots leapt into the air and smashed through the roof, landing in the middle of the restaurant.

"What in the name of!" yelled Jenny, looking at the intruders in shock.

"This looks like trouble!" said Sheldon, feeling panicked.

"Greetings, XJ-9!" said Serenade.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" said Excaliber.

After saying their names, the two of them struck and said together, "And we are Team Nocturne of the Cluster!"

As soon as Jenny heard them say the word "Cluster," she got out of her seat, staring daggers at them. "Damn it to hell!" she snarled, "you would mess up my date, wouldn't you!"

"Sheldon, contact Mom!" said Jenny, keeping her eyes locked on the two robots. "Tell her that we've got the Cluster here!"

"Got it, Jenny!" said Sheldon, running off.

"Good decision, sending your boy-toy away!" said Serenade mockingly. "That way, he won't see it when we take you apart!"

Jenny's glare became murderous. "Okay, first of all, nobody talks like that about Sheldon!" she growled, charging up a palm laser. "Secondly, WE'LL SEE WHO GETS TORN APART!" She fired the charged laser.

_'Wait a minute…something is wrong here!' _is what Excaliber had been thinking when he'd seen Jenny getting ready to fire the laser. Now that she had fired it, his internal sensors were detecting a ridiculously high level of energy.

"Serenade, get out of the way!" he yelled as he tackled his surprised partner to the floor.

The laser struck the front of the restaurant, setting off an enormous explosion that left a huge, gaping hole.

Jenny looked at her hand as though she had never seen it before. _'Whoa, my power blast was never that strong before! Is this because of Sheldon's upgrades?' _is what she was thinking.

Excaliber was having his own thoughts about what had just happened. _'Something's screwy here! A robot with XJ-9's schematics can't produce a power blast that strong!'_

Serenade's thoughts, however, were more focused on the way Excaliber was clutching onto her. _'Oh, my gosh, he…he's actually clutching me!'_ she shouted mentally.

"She must have been upgraded! She's stronger than what we thought!" said Excaliber. Suddenly, a wicked grin appeared on his face, which confused Serenade. "Perfect! This is just the way I like it!" he said to himself, standing up and taking a few steps toward Jenny.

"Well, XJ-9, it seems we greatly underestimated you!" he said, his expression never changing. "You are clearly more powerful than we thought!"

"Does that mean you're going to be smart and leave quietly?" asked Jenny.

"Hah! You're so naïve, XJ-9!" sneered Excaliber, baring his teeth.

"Uh-oh, I know that look, and it's not good!" said Jenny, becoming more alert.

"This is the kind of thing I love!" said Excaliber as he threw off his cloak, and sprouted beam swords from the armor on his forearms. "You see, XJ-9, my policy on fights is that the only good opponent is one stronger than myself. It makes it that much more gratifying when I destroy them!"

"So, shall we throw down, XJ-9?" he asked, his eyes narrowed eagerly, like a hunter challenging his prey.

Jenny, however, gave him a cool smile with her reply of, "Yeah, let the bodies hit the floor!"

She activated her jets and soared through the hole in the roof. "Amateur!" laughed Excaliber as he shot up after her. However, he soon found that his close-range tactics weren't working against Jenny's massive arsenal of projectile weaponry.

Down below, Sheldon was watching the heated battle, having already alerted Mrs. Wakeman to the Cluster presence. "Whoa, this looks like it's getting intense!" he said.

"Give it up, Excaliber!" said Jenny, staring at the infuriated robot hovering in the air with her. "You can't even get close enough to use those blades on me!"

"I beg to differ, XJ-9!" yelled Excaliber. He swung his blades, and suddenly, energy blades shot through the air, discharged from the swords, and began slashing all around Jenny, causing her to cry out in surprise.

"Oh, no, Jenny!" cried Sheldon from below.

"Heh, heh, heh! You didn't know I could do that, did you, XJ-9?" laughed Excaliber, grinning triumphantly.

Jenny's dress had nearly been reduced to ribbons. The only way it was staying on her now was her holding it up at her right shoulder. "Damn it, now I'm PISSED!" she snarled, her eyes practically burning like bonfires.

Sheldon was worried sick about what was happening, but he was momentarily distracted when he heard a familiar voice call his name from behind him. "Dr. Wakeman!" he said as he saw the short woman come dashing towards him.

"Yes, I came as fast as I could, Sheldon!" she said. "How is every-."

An enormous burst of light from up in the sky cut her off, and caused the both of them to look back up in the sky. When Sheldon saw what had happened, his face lit up. "All right, Jenny!" he shouted. "She's done it!"

"She's unlocked one of her newest upgrades," explained Sheldon, "the Fire Phoenix Hyper Mode!"

Up above them, Excaliber was staring ahead as though he had just seen a sign from God. Jenny had, it seemed, transformed before his eyes. Her hair and leg armor had turned a fiery red in color. Instead of a tank top, she now wore red and gold body armor with long shoulder guards. Her skirt was gone, leaving her with what looked like a pair of red panties. She also wore a gold belt with hip guards. To top off the ensemble, she also wore what looked like high-tech flight goggles. She floated in the air, seemingly surrounded by flames.

"You have got to be kidding!" said Serenade, attracting Sheldon and Mrs. Wakeman's attention. "You think that a stupid costume change is going to beat my Excaliber?" she sneered.

"Your Excaliber is going to get his can handed to him, lady!" said Sheldon without a moment's hesitation, glaring at her.

Up above, Jenny had broken the silence that had been hanging in the air since her transformation. "Well, it seems things just heated up, Excaliber!" she said, her voice seeming to pulse with power.

_'This…this power…it's immense!' _thought Excaliber, staring at her with his mouth hanging open. Suddenly, he glared and gritted his teeth. _'No! I can't allow myself to be defeated by a human lover!'_ "Okay, XJ-9, let's see what you've got now!" he shouted as he charged her at full speed. When he was in range, with Jenny making no attempts to stop him, he swung one of his blades at her, screaming, "DIE, XJ-9!"

Just then, Jenny did something so incredible, everybody there almost swore that they had been seeing things. With lightning speed, Jenny caught the blade with her bare hands. "Who are you trying to bullshit!" she demanded in a lethal voice. "You're a pitiful insect!" She crushed the blade, causing it to dissipate.

_'Ohh…crap!'_ thought Excaliber, realizing that he was in serious trouble.

"Now, it's my turn! FLAMING COMET FIST!" cried Jenny, throwing a punch to Excaliber's chest so powerful that flames surrounded her fist, and his chest armor shattered into flaming pieces.

_'How…how could this be? How could I…have lost?'_ thought Excaliber as he fell through the air and hit the ground with a loud crash.

"EXCALIBER!" cried Serenade, watching in horror as her partner hit the ground. She snarled and glared up at Jenny. "You…YOU LITTLE BITCH!" she screamed, causing Jenny to look down at her. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT!"

Jenny smirked at the angry Serenade. "Ha! And what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"THIS!" yelled Serenade, firing a combined blast from both of her own palm lasers up at Jenny.

"You little fool!" said Jenny. She stretched out her hand and a massive blast of flames came from her hand, tearing through and destroying Serenade's attack. "Good-bye!"

"Oh…SHIT!" Serenade managed to say before Jenny's flame attack struck her, causing her to scream in agony. When the flames died, she collapsed to the ground, badly damaged, but still alive.

"Now," said Jenny, glaring down at the beaten Serenade, "you and your friend go back and tell Vexus that any time she wants to screw with Earth…I'LL BE WAITING!"


	3. The New Robots on the Block

**CHAPTER 3: THE NEW ROBOTS ON THE BLOCK**

Back at the house, Xander was sitting on the living room sofa. From behind him, from the bathroom, came the voice of Dianna singing, mixed with the sound of a running shower.

_'I can't believe it!' _thought Xander, his face reddening slightly. _'We're in the house, alone…and she's…she's taking a shower!'_

As he sat there, thinking, Dianna's song carried into the living room. He recognized it as a song she often sang back home. (A/N: These are some translated lyrics for "A Vision", a song from the _Evangelion _anime)

_A future is extending_

_By a dazzling vision_

_I can feel because of love_

_Strong and kind, but somehow heart-rending_

_I embrace a glimmer of such a feeling_

_Ah…I get drawn close_

_Ah…to you_

"Her voice…it's so beautiful," said Xander, smiling as he recalled the peace he had always felt when he heard Dianna sing. "It's like an angel."

"Hey, Xander, I'm done with my shower," said Dianna, bringing Xander back to reality.

Xander looked up and his eyes bulged when he saw that Dianna was standing right in front of him, wearing nothing but a towel. _'Lord Almighty, I'm seeing her in a towel! She's so hot!'_ his mind screamed as he stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

"Xander, is something wrong?" asked Dianna as the boy got off the sofa.

"No, not at all!" said Xander with a nervous grin. "Well, let me get you your new clothes now!"

* * *

"Okay, Xander, I'm dressed now!" said Dianna, causing Xander to turn around to face her.

She was dressed in a pink T-shirt and a sky-blue miniskirt that Xander had bought a few days earlier. Her original outfit was unfit to wear, so he had taken the liberty of buying new things for her. (A/N: Awww, isn't that sweet?) "Well…how do I look?" she asked.

"Oh, my gosh, you're…you're so beautiful," said Xander, looking at her awe-struck.

"Oh, Xander," said Dianna, blushing. Suddenly, her expression changed entirely. "Hey, um, Xander…," she said in an unsure tone, "I have to know something. What happened to Mechanopolis, and why can't I remember a lot of our time together? I have to know the truth."

Xander nodded. "Very well," he said, "I guess it's time to tell you." He looked her right in the eye as he began to tell her what had happened.

"A few months ago, Epsilon City was attacked…by Jagger!" he said.

"My older brother!" asked Dianna in shock.

"Yes, that's right," continued Xander. "He stormed the city with an army of drones, killing and destroying all in his path."

"No…he…how could he…," said Dianna, her expression somewhere between shock and horror.

Xander continued telling the story. "I went into action to stop him, and…" He paused for a second before continuing, "You were shot while protecting me from a cowardly attack from your brother."

"That was how you got damaged so badly. When your brother saw you take the shot for me, he retreated, leaving death and destruction."

Dianna couldn't believe her audio receptors. "You mean…you mean I died? Jagger shot me while trying to shoot you?" She could barely get the words out.

"Wait, what happened to Mechanopolis!" she asked, although it was more like a demand. "What happened to my brother!"

"After you were shot, Jagger went insane. He went into the core of Mechanopolis, and he…destroyed it before I caught up with him. So, I activated a planet-wide evacuation signal, and…" He stopped and his face suddenly began to change from serious to guilty sorrow. "I'm sorry, Dianna! I was just so…angry, and I couldn't think straight, and I…" His voice died away.

"Xander, what happened? Please, you have to tell me!" cried Dianna. Xander's behavior was starting to make her nervous.

Xander practically forced the words out. "…I killed him!" he said, causing Dianna to look at him with a previously unknown degree of shock. "I killed Jagger right there in the core, Dianna! I'm sorry, I was just so angry! I thought that I'd lost you, and I…I didn't just kill him, I butchered him!" He suddenly began trembling, and tears began forming at the corners of his eyes.

"…Xander?" asked Dianna.

Xander fell to his knees and said, "Monster…that's what I am! I'm a heartless monster!"

Tears began forming in Dianna's eyes as she rushed over to Xander, got on her knees, and embraced him tightly. "No, no, don't say that!" she said. "You're not a heartless monster!"

She looked him right in the eye. "Xander, don't ever say that about yourself again! It's not true!"

Xander started to protest. "But, I…your brother…"

"I DON'T CARE! THAT BASTARD DESERVED TO DIE!" screamed Dianna in rage, shutting her eyes as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Dianna…" Xander had never seen her this angry, nor could he believe what she was saying.

"HE DESTROYED OUR HOME, KILLED INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND HE BETRAYED ME! HE'S NOT MY BROTHER! DAMN HIM, DAMN HIM TO HELL!" she continued to scream.

"STOP IT, DIANNA!" yelled Xander, suddenly pulling her into an embrace, bringing her out of her anger. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "Dianna, this isn't you! Please stop, this is scaring me!"

"Xander…" Dianna suddenly blushed faintly, closed her eyes halfway, and began to rub her hands around Xander's neck and shoulders. "How far did we get in those two years?" she asked him softly.

Xander also blushed lightly, and replied, "How…far? Well, we…we did have our first kiss. Why do you ask?"

"I think it's time we got to know each other again," she said, bringing her face closer to his, "get to _really_ know each other."

Xander made no attempts to resist as she pressed her lips to his, kissing him passionately. He simply let herself fall into his arms, and with every step they took further, all he could sense around him was her, his beloved...his everything.

* * *

"So, Sheldon, you're saying those enhancements included these 'Hyper Mode' things?" asked Jenny. Since her dress had been trashed by Excaliber, she had wrapped herself in one of the last few remaining curtains from the restaurant. The owner had graciously donated it to her after she had driven of Excaliber and Serenade.

"Yeah, but I have to admit, I'd never expected them to be that powerful!" replied Sheldon, still amazed about what had happened.

"Well, it's just what I'd expect from my right-hand assistant!" said Mrs. Wakeman proudly.

"So, how many Hyper Mode's do I have Sheldon?" asked Jenny, curious to know more.

Sheldon scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, Jenny, I'm not even totally sure. The Hyper Mode's develop according to the advancement of your skills. The only other one I actually know you have besides Fire Phoenix is called Crystal Matrix."

"Well, kids, we'd best get home," said Mrs. Wakeman. "We've had enough excitement for one day…or night."

* * *

An hour later, Jenny and Sheldon were standing outside the front door of Jenny's home. Mrs. Wakeman had gone ahead inside, so they were out there alone.

"I'm sorry our date got screwed up, Sheldon," said Jenny, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Oh, don't worry about it! We'll just have to hope for better luck next time," said Sheldon reassuringly.

"Oh, Sheldon," said Jenny, blushing. She took Sheldon's hands in her own and began to bring her face closer to his. The first time she had done this, it had happened so quickly, she hadn't thought about it. Now, however, she could feel a pounding in her chest as she closed her eyes, parted her lips ever so slightly, and tilted her head.

"J…Jenny?" asked Sheldon, blushing as well.

Jenny pressed her mouth over his as he opened it to say something else. Being it was only her second kiss with him, as well as her first "make-out" kiss, she was almost amazed by the feeling of ecstasy that she felt pulsing through her. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss, pulling slowly away from Sheldon, who looked like he'd been in heaven, which is exactly how he felt.

"Good night, Sheldon," said Jenny softly, caressing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mrs. Wakeman had been watching through the window, and had seen the whole thing. Normally, someone would think she'd have charged out the front door and chased Sheldon off with a shotgun, but instead, she watched them with a big smile.

"Well done, both of you," she said softly, before turning away from the window. "Well, now to get back to work."

She walked to and entered an extra lab that she used for special secret projects. As she opened the door, she smiled in anticipation at what it was she had created in here, which was located at the back of the room.

A boy robot was there, on his knees, held up by restraining clamps on his arms, and power cables were connected to his back. He looked about a year younger than Jenny. His hair was two-tone; the top portion was white, and looked like half of an eggshell, while the rest was dark blue. His leg armor was also dark blue, and he wore nothing except for a white cloth that was wrapped around his waist area.

As if sensing the woman's presence, the robot, whose name was Jonathon, "Johnny" for short, raised his head slightly and slowly opened his eyes. "Mo…Mother, is that you?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me," said Mrs. Wakeman, walking up to the control panel situated on a pedestal directly in front of Johnny. "I've come to check on you."

"Is it…is it time, Mother?" asked Johnny, his eyes half-closed.

"Yes, it is, my son," said Mrs. Wakeman, typing a numeric code into the control panel.

Johnny's eyes flew open. "R…Really?" he asked, the excitement evident in his voice. The clamps on his arms popped open and withdrew into the wall, and the cables popped out of his back. Now free from restraint, Johnny stood up.

"Now, let's get you into your new clothes," said Mrs. Wakeman, "and tomorrow, you shall finally meet your big sister, my son…Global Robotic Response Unit XJ-10!"

"Oh, yeah," said Johnny, smiling eagerly.

* * *

The next morning, Jenny was lying in bed asleep. As such, she didn't see Johnny peeking over the edge of her bed as he snuck around it. He wanted to surprise his sister, make a grand entrance, and he had everything planned out.

"Wakey-wakey, Jenny!" he said cheerfully.

Jenny mumbled something as she started to open her eyes. Her eyes suddenly flew wide open when she saw a young, robotic face looking at her with a happy face. He was wearing a silver pullover with a collar over a dark blue T-shirt and black pants.

"Hi, sis," said Johnny in a warm voice. "Wanna get up and play?"

Jenny shot backwards, pressing her back against the backboard of her bed. "What the…Who in the heck are you!" she shrieked in alarm.

"I'm XJ-10," said Johnny, seemingly unaffected by Jenny's outburst, "but you can call me Johnny! I'm your little brother!"

Jenny arched her eyebrow. "Little…brother?" she said, feeling completely confused. "But, I don't have…a…" Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and looked off to the side. _'Wait a minute…,'_ she thought, suddenly getting an idea what was going on.

She got out of bed and stomped towards her mom's lab. "MOM!" she yelled, smashing the door against the wall when she opened it.

Mrs. Wakeman immediately knew she was in hot water. If Jenny had gotten anything from her, it was her ability to be incredibly intimidating. _'Uh-oh, this can't be good!'_ she thought as she heard the thud of metal footsteps quickly approaching her.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA OF MAKING MY REPLACEMENT WITHOUT TELLING ME!" roared Jenny, practically blowing Mrs. Wakeman's hair back. In fact, the elderly scientist would swear that flames were shooting out of Jenny's mouth when she roared at her.

Fortunately, the so-called "replacement" stepped in and saved the woman's hide. "Sis, I'm not your replacement, I'm your partner," he said as he came and stood beside her.

"I DON'T…" Jenny did a double-take and looked at the other robot. "You're my…partner?" she asked haltingly.

"That's right, XJ-9!" said Mrs. Wakeman, coming to Johnny's side. "As of this moment, you will be working with XJ-10 in carrying out your global defense duties."

Jenny instantly felt every kind of idiot. "Johnny, I…I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…I didn't mean to act like that," she said.

"Oh, that's okay, sis," said Johnny. "I know you were a little surprised, so it's no big deal."

"Hey, what's all the hollering for?" asked Xander, who walked into the lab, minus his shirt and still looking half-asleep. "You woke us both up."

"Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you, Xander," said Jenny. Suddenly, she realized something. "Wait, did you just say 'the both of us'?" she asked.

Just then, Dianna appeared next to Xander, wearing nothing but his shirt. "Hi, you must be XJ-9, Jenny," she said in a friendly voice. "Xander told me all about you. I'm DN-9, but you probably already know my name is Dianna. I'm happy to finally meet you."

Jenny stared at the blond robot as if she had been smacked over the head with a crowbar. "D-Dianna!" she nearly shouted. "But-but-but Xander, you told me she died the day you left Mechanopolis!"

"Yes, she did," explained Xander, "but thanks to the aid of your mother, she has been repaired and is back with me again."

"Oh, my gosh! That's wonderful, Xander!" said Jenny happily.

Johnny, meanwhile, was staring love-struck at Dianna. Being a teenage robot male, he had his own hormonal highs, and he was having one now. _'Holy mother of Bill Gates! That is one hot ro-babe!'_ he thought as he gazed at her.

He charged forward, stopping directly in front of Dianna and holding her hand in both of his. "Why, hello there, fair damsel," he said smoothly, causing Dianna, Jenny, and Xander to stare at him in shock. "Without a doubt, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever set my eyes on."

"Umm, uh, thank you, sir," said Dianna, blushing lightly, "but…I already have a boyfriend.

She had tried to put it as gently as possible, but Johnny still flipped out. He choked first, staring at Dianna as if she had just ripped out his heart and crushed it. "Shot down on my first day! Life is so cruel!" he wailed before flopping down on the floor like a rag doll.

* * *

Elsewhere in Tremorton, Excaliber was sitting on the edge of the roof of a building, glaring at the city below him. He had been repaired, and had gotten some new armor, but that did little to improve his sour mood. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had been beaten by Jenny.

"What do _you_ want?" he grumbled as he glanced behind him at the approaching individual. She laid her hand on his shoulder, causing him to glare at it before shifting it up to her.

"Hey, do you want some company, Excaliber?" asked Serenade warmly, hoping that he might cheer up.

"I'd rather be alone, thank you very much!" said Excaliber as he turned to look away from her.

Serenade sat down beside him and said, "Okay."

Excaliber looked back at her with an expression of annoyance. "You don't listen very well, do you?" he asked.

"Well, not to _you_, anyways!" Serenade shot back.

"Figures," said Excaliber, looking straight ahead. "Typical woman, never listens to a thing-." He was cut off when Serenade suddenly planted a quick kiss on his helmeted cheek. "What was _that_ for?" he asked, actually flustered and blushing instead of angry.

"Well, we have a quiet moment," said Serenade, smiling again, "so I thought I'd thank you for saving me yesterday."

"Well, we'd best enjoy the quiet while we can, Serenade," said Excaliber, looking ahead again.

Serenade let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said. "Vexus damn near bit our heads off after that SNAFU yesterday!"

"I'm not talking about her, Serenade."

Serenade immediately locked her gaze on him. Something in his tone didn't sound right. "Huh?"

"Something is approaching…and this time," said Excaliber, "I think that the Cluster is going to be the one to fall."

* * *

That afternoon, at the Wakeman residence, Johhny was standing in the front yard. He had a serious look on his face, as though something was wrong.

Suddenly, cardboard targets began popping out of the bushes. Immediately, Johnny fired at them with his left hand, which was spitting lasers out of the fingertips like a machine gun. No sooner had he destroyed the targets, than four short logs were launched into the air from behind some more bushes. Johnny spun around quick as a whip, there was a flash of light, and the logs collapsed to the ground, each one sliced into four equal pieces. Johnny stood tall and erect, both of his arms now converted into beam sabers.

"One point ninety-six seconds!" said Mrs. Wakeman as she looked at the stopwatch in her hand. "Not bad, XJ-10!"

"Hey, thanks, Mom," said Johnny, changing his arms back to normal.

Meanwhile, Sheldon and Dianna were meeting for the first time, while Jenny and Xander watched from a little ways off.

"So, you're ID number is DN-9, and your name is Dianna" said Sheldon as he shook her hand. "Well, since I don't have an ID number, my name is Sheldon Lee."

"Well, I'm happy to meet you, Sheldon," said Dianna politely. She was once again wearing the clothes Xander had given her last night.

As this was happening, Jenny looked over to Xander and said, "So, you say that out of the two years that you and Dianna have known each other, she can only remember three months."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Xander, feeling a little bummed that a major portion of his life was gone. "Still, it hasn't had any…negative effects on our relationship."

Jenny suddenly looked at him impishly. "That's right, you two seemed _pretty close_ when I saw you this morning, you sly little devil, you!" she said mischievously.

Xander's blushed, his eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that Jenny had guessed what had happened between him and Dianna last night. (A/N: You all know what happened, I'm sure! wink, wink)

"Relax, Xander, I'm just playing around with you!" said Jenny, giving him a joking smile.

Xander, however, narrowed his eyes at her in a murderous glare. "Don't…ever…joke…about that again, Jenny! I mean it!" he hissed.

"I just…I always wondered what that's like, you know," said Jenny, looking down at the ground.

"What what's like, Jenny?" asked Xander, quickly forgetting about being mad.

Jenny looked up at him, looking him right in the eye. "To have a special someone," she said, "a kindred soul."

Xander smiled at her gently. "Believe me, it's incredible, Jenny," he said. "It's like finding a piece of your heart, of your very being, that you didn't even know was missing."

As if to prove this point, Dianna came up and warmly embraced Xander. It seemed to Jenny that if you looked just right, they appeared to be one being instead of two. _'Yeah, you got that right,'_ she thought as she watched the two lovers hold each other.

"Xander, I'm glad to be here with you," said Dianna, rubbing her cheek against Xander's Chest.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Dianna," said Xander, slowly moving his hands up and down her back.

"Hi, Jenny," said Sheldon, joining them.

"Sheldon, hello!" said Jenny warmly.

Without another word, the two teens gently held each other and kissed passionately. At the same time, Johnny was watching them with mild disgust.

"Mom, sis is making out with Sheldon a mere 15 feet away!" he said flatly, pointing in their direction.

Mrs. Wakeman looked over at the two teens, which were still lip-locked. "Yes, I'm aware of that, XJ-10," she said without any hint of displeasure, and then turned back to her laptop, where she was entering the data she had gathered during Johnny's training.

Johnny looked at her, mildly surprised. "You mean to say that you don't care that your daughter and lab assistant are practically giving each other mouth-to-mouth?" he asked.

Without missing a keystroke, or looking back, Mrs. Wakeman replied with, "No, I have no problem with their attraction to each other."

Johnny rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, whatev-," he started to say, but he stopped and turned completely around. "Hey, what was that!" he asked in alarm.

"AAARRGGHH!" he cried out in pain as a laser beam suddenly struck him on the right side of his chest, knocking him to the ground.

"What the devil!" exclaimed Mrs. Wakeman, looking back in astonishment.

"JOHNNY!" cried Jenny, rushing to her brother's side.

Then, they saw who had done it. It was a robot clad from head to toe in a black uniform. He wore a helmet that had two eye visors, rimmed on top and around the back with gold. A strange golden symbol was on his left shoulder, and a black belt with a gold buckle was around his waist. He had a long, brown ponytail, and in one of his gloved hands was a laser pistol.

"That was just the warning shot," he said, his voice slightly distorted by the helmet. "As such, I suggest you tell me where XR-4 is!"

"Johnny, are you okay!" cried Jenny, kneeling beside her brother.

Johnny looked at where he had been shot, his teethclenched to keep from making any cry of pain. "Yeah, I'm okay, sis," he said in a strained voice, "I think!"

The mysterious attacker aimed his blaster at the two XJ's and said, "I know he's here, so I'll ask one last time, where is-GAAAHHH!" He was cut off when a laser blast shot straight through his head. He collapsed like a pile of junk.

Xander stood glaring at where the robot had fallen, his cap facing forward, glaring coldly at the limp body. His right arm was in its blaster form again, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"You rang, Satsujin scum?" he asked in a lethal voice.

* * *

Miles above the surface of the Earth, in the black of space just over Tremorton,s general location, a massive spaceship moved slowly in its orbit. It was the Star Leviathan _Draconia_, the ship sent to Earth by order of Angmar. Like Angmar's ship, it's control center was made to look like a dragon's head, but its body was different. It was rectangular and long, and from the back of the control center to the engines, the sides stretched out into wings. Star Leviathans were like space aircraft carriers, primarily used for carrying massive amounts of starfighters. At the moment, some activity was ensuing on the bridge.

"Captain Juno!" called Ensign Ackren as she ran down the gangway on the bridge. She was a young officer of the Satsujin Empire, just recently assigned to the _Draconia_. She had long blue hair and brown eyes, and a well-crafted figure. She wore the traditional olive-green Satsujin uniform, with the insignia of ensign on her left shoulder.

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and swallowed nervously when she suddenly came face-to-face with the very person she was looking for.

Captain Juno had a reputation for shaping all under his command into the best soldiers and officers in the whole Empire. He had long black hair with long bangs. His icy blue eyes were currently locked on Ackren in a very stern glare, and he was frowning.

"Ensign Ackren!" he said very firmly. "This is the command deck of a Satsujin Imperial warship, not a market on Galvron-5! Messages are not just shouted to me or any of the other officers on this ship, do you understand?"

Ackren's cheeks burned red with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, sir!" she said, bowing respectfully. "I won't do it again, I promise!" _'Darn it, I made myself look like an idiot in front of the captain again!'_ she thought.

As she was feeling foolish, Juno's expression softened considerably. "Hey, don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "You're a damn fine crewman, and you're doing great. Just look out for those little things, okay?"

Ackren could only stare at him speechless, a blush beginning to form on her cheeks. _'Oh, my God! He gave me a compliment! I always get giddy when he does that!'_ cried her mind. (A/N: Uh-oh, I hope they don't have regulations that say officers and other personnel can't be involved with each other!)

"So, what's the message, Ensign?" asked Juno, ready to hear what was so important. He knew already that whenever Ackren forgot regulations and started shouting things, it was a sign that something serious had happened.

"I'm afraid it's not good, sir," said Ackren, quickly skimming over the information displayed on her data pad before looking back at him. "Scout Trooper TK-421 was just eliminated by someone on the planet's surface, and Angmar will be in this system inninety-six hours!"

All activity on the bridge seemed to freeze, and all the crewman turned around in Ackren's direction, looks of horrified shock on their faces. Even Juno, one of the toughest officers in the Empire, looked like he had just seen Death.

"A-A-Angmar is coming to the Earth system?" he just barely managed to breath out, trembling.

"Yes, sir, that is correct," replied Ackren.

Juno just looked straight ahead as though he had been petrified. _'Our emperor…Angmar,'_ he thought, an image of the said individual passing through his mind.

Suddenly, a klaxon went off, snapping him and the crew out of their petrified state. "What in the name of Mechano!" shouted Juno, looking around as a flashing red light filled the bridge.

"I don't know!" replied Ackren, quickly turning to one of the scan stations. "Scan crew, report!" she called to them.

"Captain, a ship just dropped out of hyperspace in our sector!" called one of the scan technicians. "It's a Cluster warship!"

Immediately, the main viewscreen displayed the warship. It was just like any other ship in the Cluster, resembling a giant, metal beetle with engines. The Satsujin, or at least the crew of the _Draconia_, knew this because they had already encountered and destroyed several Cluster ships on their way to Earth, and while they had been orbiting it; in fact, just outside the Asteroid Belt, they had destroyed a group of ten Cluster warships.

"The Cluster, eh," said Juno, beginning to get his battle grin. "Well, at least we're getting some more action!"

He assumed his position at the head of the gangway, and began shouting his orders, which his crew began carrying out immediately. "All hand, man your battle stations! Repeat, man your battle stations! Turn 45 degrees to starboard! Raise shields and activate cloaking field! Bring starboard guns to bear on enemy ship and fire at will!"

Ackren was watching Juno with hearts in her eyes and a love-struck smile on her face. _'Wow, Captain Juno is sexy when he's commanding!'_ she thought.

Despite its large size, the _Draconia_ moved speedily as it moved into attack position and bore down on the Cluster ship. 30 minutes later, it was all over.

* * *

"Captain, we confirm successful destruction of the Cluster warship!" said the ship's lieutenant, the highest ranking female officer on the ship.

"Very good, Lieutenant!" said Juno. "Make sure no one on Earth knows about what happened!"

"Yes, sir!" replied the lieutenant, tapping her heels together before walking away.

Juno then turned his attention to Ackren, who was looking at him as though she wanted to ask him something. "Yes, what is it, Ensign?" he asked.

"I just want to say," said Ackren, "that I think you're a model commander, and a credit to our proud armada, Captain Juno!"

Juno's eyes widened and he blushed slightly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Thank you, Ensign. I'm glad that you feel satisfied with how I carry out my duties."

"And I shall work all the harder to ensure that I will be worthy of serving under you, Captain!" added Ackren.

"Ensign Ackren…," said Juno, putting his hands on the young crewman's shoulders, "I couldn't find any ensign more worthy of being under my command than you."

"Thank you, Captain."


	4. Enter the JKNECROS

So, what do you readers think so far? It seems that Xander has some secrets that may be coming to light, but the question is, how much is he going to tell? Well, you'll just have to see! For those of you who have reviewed so far, I express my sincerest thanks, and I have something I would like to say to one of you:

Crashfourit: Believe it or not, I had intended for the XJ-10 to be a boy before I had even read your story. I mean, there are nine girls, for crying out loud, so I figured it was time for a boy to join the team.

Anyway, read on, because things are about to get interesting!

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CHAPTER 4: ENTER THE JK-NECROS

"Xander, you said that robot guy was a Satsujin Star Soldier," said Sheldon.

Back at the house, Xander, Jenny, and Sheldon were all in the living room.

"Umm, what…exactly is that, Xander?" asked Jenny, putting her arm around Sheldon's.

Xander pushed the bill of his cap up so that his face could be seen a little bit better. "I guess it's time to tell you one of my planet's ugly secrets," he began, looking at them with the most serious face they had ever seen him make. "The Satsujin is basically a military faction that was exiled from Mechanopolis years ago, which has now grown into an empire that rules over roughly a galaxy's worth of planets. The best symbol of their power is their space armada, the largest and strongest in the known universe."

Jenny and Sheldon exchanged worried looks. "That's not a good thing, Jenny!" said Sheldon, feeling the pit of his stomach freeze.

"I know, because we've already got the Cluster to deal with!" said Jenny.

"They're not here to take over Earth…yet! They're after me!" said Xander. As the other two watched, he held up his right hand and began glaring at it, his eyes blazing.

"Of all the robots that have ever lived on Mechanopolis, I am the strongest, the most advanced, the most powerful!" he said, his voice gradually rising with anger. "To them, I am a weapon, a weapon that they would use to smite all free worlds down to utter submission!"

He suddenly clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "But, they will never have me!" he began shouting. "NEVER, YOU HEAR ME! **NEVER!**"

* * *

Later that afternoon, just an hour or so before evening, the silence in a secluded area far outside the limits of Tremorton was broken when a heavy steel door that covered the entrance to an underground laboratory was smashed in.

"Well, at least I knocked before entering!" said Johnny, flexing his fingers as he stepped into the long, dark hallway. A panel flipped open in his left wrist, revealing a small video screen. "Okay, Mom, I've entered the hidden lab."

Mrs. Wakeman's face appeared on the screen with a pop of static. "Excellent work, XJ-10!" she said. "Have you encountered any of the lab's security yet?"

"Not yet, Mom," replied Johnny as he began to walk down the hallway. "So, this old friend of yours hid a robot of his in this old lab?" he asked.

About a month ago, Mrs. Wakeman had received an e-mail from an old colleague of hers, a Japanese robotics scientist named Ito Masamune. He had told her of a robot he had just finished constructing, his greatest achievement, and had asked her to take care of it for him, and to come pick it up at this time on this day.

"Yes, Dr. Masamune left a highly advanced robot in this lab, and he asked me to take care of her," said Mrs. Wakeman.

As soon as he heard that the robot was a girl, Johnny blushed. "A girl, eh…I wonder if she's cute," he said to himself. (A/N: Hey, he's a teenage boy robot!)

Suddenly, a laser beam shot past his shoulder, snapping him out of his fantasy. "What the-crap, it looks like the welcoming committee is here!" he exclaimed, not very happy about the sneak shot taken at him. "I'll have to call you back, Mom!" he added, shutting off the communicator.

He looked ahead and saw his attacker, a type of drone robot. It was skinny and agile-looking, red in color, and with a triangular face. Its right hand was a laser gun, which was being aimed at Johnny as though the drone were warning him not to take another step.

'_Damn, there's no cover in this corridor!'_ Johnny cursed mentally. _'I'll have to charge through!'_

"Chew on this, drone!" he shouted, firing his hand/machine gun at the drone.

"Hold it!" shouted a female figure, suddenly appearing in the path of Johnny's attack, which she stopped with a barrier shield.

"WHAT THE HELL! JENNY, HOW DID YOU GET HERE?" yelled Johnny when he saw the familiar pigtailed figure of his sister.

She chuckled quietly before she said, "Sorry, but you've got the wrong girl!"

Johnny had to do a double-take. "Wait a sec, you're not Jenny!" he gasped in astonishment.

Indeed, the robot looked exactly like Jenny, except that Jenny had blue clothes, armor, and hair, while she had black. Her eyes were different, as well. Not only did they look both dangerous and tempting at the same time, they were red, and looked like the slits in a cat's eyes.

"I'm JK-NECROS," explained the robot, her voice sounding like Jenny's, but with a smoother feel, "a.k.a. Jackie Masamune. I've ordered the drone not to attack you, if you identify yourself."

Johnny, however, could only stare at Jackie wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open and his face beet-red. _'Oh, dear God! I know she looks like my sister, but she's…so…damn sexy!'_ his mind was crying out. "I, uh, I'm Global Robotic Response Unit XJ-10, a.k.a. Jonathon Wakeman," he managed to say, "but I prefer to be called 'Johnny'."

Instantly, Jackie walked up to him, her expression now welcoming and friendly. "Oh, Father told me you would be here! I was expecting you, in fact!" she said. "In that case, you can call me Jackie, and I'll call you Johnny."

She suddenly assumed a rather "flirty" pose, and said with a sexy wink, "You know, Johnny, I have to admit, you're cuter than I thought."

Johnny immediately felt like he was on cloud nine. _'Cute!' _his mind yelled happily, _'she called me CUTE!'_

He cleared his throat and took hold of Jackie's hand. "Well, Mom is waiting for us, so come with me!" he said.

"Why, Johnny, you're quite a fast worker!" said Jackie. "I usually wait for the third date for this!"

Even though she was only playing around, Johnny blushed severely, retaining his red color even as they both flew back towards Tremorton. _'Jeez, she must know I'm easy to tease! Either that, or she just likes to tease guys like me!'_ he thought, occasionally glancing at Jackie as they flew.

* * *

Xander stood atop the rocky cliff, a mere few miles from where Jackie and Johnny had been, glaring out into the distance, although he did not seem to be glaring at anything in particular. His thoughts, on the other hand, were focused on one thing: the Satsujin.

'_Damn!'_ he cursed mentally. _'The Satsujin have actually come out to this part of space just looking for me!'_

He looked at his hand. _'After Mechanopolis was destroyed, I hoped I could live here on Earth, in peace. I prayed that these hands would never fight again…'_

He suddenly clenched the hand into a fist, his glare suddenly blazing with fury. "DAMMIT ALL!" he screamed in rage, before lowering his head, shaking. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, just damn it all to hell!" he growled. "I'm just sick of fighting and killing, I'm just so sick of it all!"

He turned his glare up towards the sky and spoke again, this time in a voice that would strike fear into the heart of Vexus. "I won't let it happen again! What those bastards did before, I won't fucking let it happen again, I swear it!"

* * *

"Well, here we are, Jackie! This is home sweet home!" said Johnny as he and Jackie slowly descended to the front walkway of the Wakeman residence.

"Hey, it's a nice place!" said Jackie admiringly.

Once they had come inside, Jackie was introduced to Mrs. Wakeman. "So, you are Dr. Masamune's project, JK-NECROS?" asked Mrs. Wakeman, smiling brightly as she shook the robot's hand.

"Yes, but please call me Jackie," she said, putting an arm behind Johnny, "and I'd like to say that your son is a handsome little gentleman!" Johnny blushed and looked up at her nervously.

Just then, Jenny came into the living room, where everyone else was. "Hey, Mom, what are you-" She started to ask, but her voice caught in her throat, and she stared dumbfounded at what she could only say was her twin. "Hubba Whatta? Mom, is there something you want to tell me about?" she finally asked, her eyes never leaving Jackie.

"Oh, XJ-9, this is your new training companion, JK-NECROS!" said Mrs. Wakeman, unaware of the look on her daughter's face.

"Call me Jackie," said the girl robot, "and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Jackie seemed to lose some of her shock. "She's my…'training partner?' But, why did you make her look like me?" she asked, still looking directly at Jackie.

"Actually, your mom didn't build me," explained Jackie. "I was constructed by a friend of hers who was a big admirer of yours, Dr. Ito Masamune. He thought that if you had some competition, you might work harder to be the world's strongest robot."

"Competition?" Jenny was genuinely confused.

Picking up on this, Jackie said, "Perhaps a demonstration would help. Are you, by chance, up for a sparring match?"

"Sure, that's cool!" said Jenny.

"Awesome, you go, girl!" said Jackie.

* * *

About two hours later, Jenny and Jackie were outside in the front yard, facing each other. Johnny, Sheldon, and Mrs. Wakeman were standing by the house, a safe distance away from the battleground. The two fighters regarded each other with battle grins.

"Just so you know," said Jackie, "I won't go easy on you…Jenny!"

Jenny snorted. "Good, because I like it rough…Jackie!" (A/N: Try and picture Sheldon turning red when he hears that) She suddenly charged towards Jackie, shouting, "Here I come, Jackie!"

'_Aha, a direct attack, eh?'_ thought the other robot, narrowing her eyes in concentration. _'Well, it's time to show her who the boss is!'_

With blinding speed, she held out her hand, blocking Jenny's rock-shattering punch, and using her confusion to deliver a side-kick that caught her in the chin, knocking her backwards.

"Whoa, this is already getting intense!" said Johnny, watching the fight as though he were watching a kung-fu movie.

Sheldon was watching, impressed by Jackie's performance. "She caught Jenny's punch like it was nothing, and then kicked her away before she could react! That technology is amazing!" he said.

"Yes, that's just what I'd expect from Ito!" said Mrs. Wakeman.

Jackie and Jenny were battling viciously. Each one attacked and dodged with seemingly equal skills, although Jackie was the one who had taken the least amount of hits.

"PATHETIC!" yelled Jackie, nailing Jenny with a right cross, and following up with a high kick. "I was hoping you'd give me some sort of challenge!"

Jenny landed on her feet, and rubbed away a trickle of saliva on the corner of her lips. _'Damn, she's tough!' _she thought. _'I'd better think of something, or I'm going to get my ass handed to me!'_

Suddenly, she realized that Jackie had vanished. "Huh? Where'd she go?" she exclaimed.

"Oh, Jenny!" called Jackie's voice from above her.

"What the-HOLY CRAP!" yelled Jenny, her eyes the size of car tires as she saw what was above.

Jackie hovered in the air with her foot jets, her right arm pointing at her…in the form of a massive, four-barreled beam cannon! "You'd better think fast!" laughed Jackie, staring at Jenny with a wicked glare.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" wailed Jenny, sure that she was screwed, until she remembered something. _'Wait a minute! I still have the Fire Phoenix!'_

Once again feeling confident, she shot a grin at Jackie and yelled, "Go ahead, Jackie, I'm ready for you!"

"Okay, you asked for it!" sneered Jackie, firing the cannon.

'_Ha! She fell for it!'_ thought Jenny. "ACTIVATE HYPER MODE!" she yelled, and she was immediately surrounded by a shell of roaring flames, which dissipated Jackie's attack.

Sheldon stared at Jenny in shock. "What!" he gasped. "She's using the Fire Phoenix again!"

Jackie, however, looked down with anticipation as the flames began to fade, revealing Jenny's new form. _'Well, now it's getting interesting!'_ she thought.

"Yes…yes! This is good!" said Jenny, now in her Fire Phoenix armor. "They say if you play with fire, you'll get burned! Do you still want to play with me?"

"Do you really have to ask, Jenny?" replied Jackie, descending back to the ground, a fair distance from Jenny. "Let's dance!"

"Okay, you asked for it!" said Jenny with a grin that was a little on the "evil" side.

It was around that moment when Johnny noticed that Sheldon looked like something was seriously wrong. "Sheldon, what's wrong?" he asked. "You look freaked out!"

"JENNY, DISENGAGE THE FIRE PHOENIX NOW!" Sheldon yelled at Jenny. "IT'S TOO RISKY TO USE IT!"

Mrs. Wakeman turned and looked up at Sheldon in alarm. "Sheldon, what are you talking about?" she demanded.

With eyes wide with terror, Sheldon explained, "The Fire Phoenix can't be used more than once in a 24-hour period! If it is used too soon, the power surge causes Jenny to go berserk!"

Just then, Jenny cried, "Have a taste of this!" and fired a blast of flame like when she had shot Serenade, right at Jackie.

Seeing the approaching attack, Jackie countered, firing a beam blast from her hands with a scream of, "HAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

The two attacks collided, setting off a massive explosion that shot up into the air…and consumed where the others were standing.

* * *

"What in the name of Mechano?" exclaimed Xander, looking to his right when he heard the explosion. He watched in astonishment as he saw a pillar of energy shooting up into the air, rings spreading out from it as it climbed higher.

Xander quickly scanned the explosion, a light moving across his eyes as his mind processed the data. "That's one heck of an energy spike!" he said, sensing that something must have gone wrong back home. "This might be something worth checking out!" He goosed his jets, shooting back to Tremorton at supersonic speed.

* * *

Back at the house, Sheldon had opened his eyes, expecting to find himself halfway burned to ashes, but instead found he was sitting on the ground, perfectly fine. "Hey, we're still alive!" he said in amazement.

Mrs. Wakeman was just as surprised as he was. "But…but how is that possible?" she asked, looking at her hands to see if all the fingers were still there.

"Try asking her!" said Johnny, who was standing and looking directly in front of him.

"What?" cried Sheldon. "It can't be!"

Standing in front of Johnny was…Dianna! She had her hands stretched out in front of her, projecting an energy barrier that surrounded them like a shell. She had heard the noise outside and had come out just as Jenny and Jackie were firing their attacks. Reacting quickly, she had rushed in and put up the barrier to protect the others.

Jenny and Jackie were looking at Dianna in amazement. Actually, Jenny was looking at her with anger. Due to the Hyper Mode-induced insanity, she considered anyone that could put up a defense against her power was trash to be eliminated.

"Whoa, that's some good defensive system!" said Jackie.

"No! This is unacceptable!" yelled Jenny angrily.

Dianna glared at Jenny as she said, "No, Jenny, what's unacceptable is you using such dangerous powers around innocent people!"

"Jenny, please listen to me!" begged Sheldon, who didn't want things to get worse. "You have to disengage the Hyper Mode before you lose all control!"

Jenny gave Sheldon a look that suggested that she was about to kill him. "You…how dare you speak to me like that!" she snarled. "I am the ultimate robot, and I will not be ordered around by weak fools like you! I AM FIRE PHOENIX!"

"Looks like you have an attitude problem, Fire Phoenix!" said Dianna, clenching her fists tightly. "And I'm the one who's going to fix it!"


	5. Dianna's Moment of Glory

To answer some questions that some of you are doubtless asking, JK-NECROS is actually far stronger than Jenny, and would likely have beaten her had I wrote this particular chapter in a different way. However, I figured that I had made Dianna look too much like a delicate flower, so I thought I should reveal another side of her. Anyway, read on and enjoy!

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CHAPTER 5: DIANNA'S MOMENT OF GLORY

"Sorry, sister, but this chick isn't going to cool off anytime soon!" said Jenny, converting her right arm into a flamethrower. "In fact…I'M TURNING UP THE HEAT!"

Dianna narrowed her eyes, scanning the flames speeding towards her. "Okay, fire-based attack," she said. "Temperature and trajectory analyzed, execute counterstrike!" A flash of blue light suddenly burst around her as she cried, "DN-9 DNA METAMORPHOSIS, NOW!"

Everyone, including Jenny, stared in shock as the blue light cancelled out the fire attack, and then dropped to reveal Dianna…in a new form! Her hair was longer, hanging all the way down her back. She wore a beautiful blue costume that went down as far as her waist, where it opened up into two fins in the back. A blue flap hung halfway down her thighs from under the costume, and blue sleeve-like arm covers seemed to round off the ensemble. A blue crystal was on these sleeves just at the wrist, and a smaller one was on her forehead. She also had golden knee-guards.

"Playing with fire isn't a good thing for you," said Dianna in a cold voice, her eyes forbidding, "now that you're up against water!"

"Holy cheese and crackers!" yelled Sheldon. "Dianna transformed, just like Jenny's Hyper Mode!"

"What? But, I thought only Jenny had Hyper Modes!" exclaimed Johnny.

"That's not a Hyper Mode, you guys."

"Xander!" shouted Sheldon, seeing the boy robot standing nearby, watching the potential war. "Where the heck have you been, man? We've got trouble!"

"Let's just say I was blowing off some steam," said Xander in an unusually flat voice. "Either way, you guys can relax now. This brawl is as good as over."

"What do you mean it's over?" demanded Johnny, looking at Xander as if he had lost a few screws. "Jenny's berserk and in Fire Phoenix-Mode!"

With the calmest voice they had ever heard him use, Xander simply replied, "Because not even the power of Jenny's Fire Phoenix can stand up to that of Dianna's Aqua-Mode!"

Suddenly, Jackie appeared next to him, once again acting flirty. "Well, hello there, big boy!" she said. "Are you a friend of Jenny's or something?"

Xander actually showed a hint of surprise when he saw her. "Umm, are you Jenny's long lost twin sister or something?" he asked her.

"No, I'm JK-NECROS, but you can call me Jackie," she replied. "I was built by Dr. Ito Masamune, a friend of Mrs. Wakeman."

"Guys, they're starting the fight!" exclaimed Johnny, directing everybody's attention to the two robot girls, both of them super-powered and staring daggers at each other.

"I don't want to fight you, Jenny," said Dianna, "but if you won't back down, I won't show leniency!"

Jenny, unfortunately, was beyond being reasoned with. From inside her head, a voice was crying out for her to destroy this arrogant anomaly before her. Destroy…destroy…DESTROY! "SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" she yelled, her voice no longer that of sweet, caring Jenny, but the insane, hateful cries of Fire Phoenix.

"Then so be it!" said Dianna, who clearly was ready, willing, and able to bash Jenny's head in to bring her back to her senses.

"Have a taste of my Flaming Comet Fist!" Jenny yelled, speeding through the air towards Dianna, her fist already flaming.

Dianna didn't even blink as she responded, "Give me a break! GO DOWN!" She fired a blue beam from her hand, which hit Jenny head-on. The raging teen robot cried out in pain as she shot across the street, crashing into and smashing a parked car.

Sheldon stared at Jenny and the car. To see his expression, you'd think he'd just seen Jenny smash the Ten Commandments. "Ohhh, crap, the neighbors are going to kill us! That was a new car!" he wailed.

"Well, you'd better make tracks for Mexico!" said Xander in a not-very-comforting voice.

Just then, Brad and Tuck came running up the sidewalk. (A/N: There you go, for those of you who were waiting for Brad and Tuck to show up again!)

"Hey, guys, we heard the commotion, and we came to see what happened!" said Brad.

Tuck, meanwhile, had looked up in the sky and seen Dianna and Jenny continuing their fight. "Whoa, check out the butt-kicking!" he said.

"Holy cow!" yelled Brad as he watched the two robots zipping through the air. "Is Jenny fighting a new Cluster robot or something?"

"No, Jenny's berserk and in Hyper Mode," explained Sheldon, "and that other robot trying to stop her is Xander's girlfriend, Dianna!"

Up in the sky, it was clear that Jenny was losing this battle. Her armor was battered and cracked, and she was covered with dents, scars, and who knows what else.

"Had enough yet, Fire Phoenix?" asked Dianna, glaring lethally at her.

Taking great, heaving breaths, Jenny replied, "No…this is impossible! I can't lose!"

Suddenly, she threw her head back and screamed, "I…CAN'T…LOSE!" At the same time, two wings made entirely out of flames sprouted from her back.

"CRAP, JENNY JUST ACTIVATED HER WINGS!" screamed Sheldon, looking like he was about to have a heart attack. "SHE'S ABOUT TO LAUNCH HER STRONGEST ATTACK!"

Of everyone there, the only ones who hadn't seemed to hear what Sheldon was saying were Xander, Brad, and Jackie, who were in the middle of a conversation resulting from the fact that Jackie and Brad were first meeting.

"So, you're like a copy of Jenny, but you're way stronger?" asked Brad.

"Yeah, at least that's what I was supposed to be," said Jackie, shrugging slightly. "Anyhow, how about-OH MY GOD!"

Looking up, they saw something happen that they would never forget.

"PREPARE TO BURN IN THE INFERNO, FOREIGN ROBOT!" bellowed Jenny, shooting through the air towards Dianna, her whole body surrounded by flames. "FEEL THE POWER OF THE 'FALLEN PHOENIX DIVE'!"

Dianna just began moving her hands around in an odd pattern, blue energy building up in her palms. "A very good attack, but no matter how hot a flame burns, it can always be put out! POSEIDON BUSTER!"

Another beam of blue energy, this one looking like it had been fired from a giant laser cannon, shot from Dianna's hands. Even more incredible, it tore through the flames surrounding Jenny and struck her…hard.

Immediately, Jenny shrieked in agony, her attack faded, and she was trapped hovering in the air. As soon as the rest of the beam faded, Dianna zipped over and brought the heel of her foot down on Jenny's head, sending her smashing into the front yard of the Wakeman residence.

"JENNY, OH MY GOD, ARE YOU OKAY?" cried Sheldon, rushing over to Jenny's side.

Dianna, meanwhile, set herself back down on the ground and changed back to normal. "Oh, I hope I didn't do anything permanent," she said in a worried voice.

"Whoa, babe-o-rama!" exclaimed Brad when he saw Dianna's true form. "Xander, your girl is hot!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Brad," said Xander with a smile that suddenly made Brad uneasy. "So, if I see or hear of you ogling her in any way, shape, or form," he continued, suddenly becoming deadly serious, "I will make you wish that you had not been born as a vertebrate life form. Got it, friend?"

Pale as a sheet, Brad gulped and said, "Yes, I've got it."

Meanwhile, Sheldon was supporting Jenny in his arms. "Jenny, are you okay?" he asked in a panic.

Jenny groaned, and suddenly her eyes shot open, a look of panic on her face. "Sheldon! Oh God, what happened to everyone else?" she began crying out. "Please tell me that they're okay!"

"Jenny, calm down," said Sheldon soothingly. "Dianna transformed into a stronger form and took you out of Hyper Mode before things got ugly."

Jenny looked at Dianna for confirmation. "Yes, I brought you out of it," said Dianna. "I'm glad I didn't do any serious damage to you in the process."

After a few seconds, Jenny suddenly clutched onto Sheldon, sobbing into his chest. "Sheldon, I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I didn't want to do that, but I…I couldn't control…and I said…oh my God!"

Sheldon held her gently as he helped her stand. "It is okay, Jenny," he said gently, softly stroking her head. "It wasn't your fault, so don't cry. Everything's okay now."

With the others behind him, Sheldon led Jenny into the house. However, Xander and Dianna stayed outside.

"Dianna, come with me," said Xander, beginning to walk towards the backyard. "There's something I want you to see."

Silently, Dianna followed him. Once in the backyard, she and Xander stopped in front of an object that looked like a white stone obelisk set on a bulky, rectangular base. "What is this, Xander?" she asked, coming to his side.

"Just read what it says on the obelisk," said Xander, pointing to it. It read:

**IN MEMORY OF OUR FRIENDS, OUR FAMILY, AND ALL THOSE WHO PERISHED WHEN THE WORLD OF MECHANOPOLIS FELL ON THIS DAY, THE 28TH OF NANOVON, 930 A.N. (28TH OF JUNE, 2005 A.D.)**

"It's a memorial," said Dianna softly, feeling close to tears.

"Yes, a memorial to our home," said Xander, his voice calm despite the fact that he felt close to crying himself. "I'd been constructing it before I was able to repair you. I wanted to keep it put away until I could share it with you."

A few tears actually left Dianna's eyes as she leaned against Xander and hugged him, saying, "Xander, this is a wonderful thing you've done. It just proves what I've known all along."

"What is that, Dianna?" asked Xander, looking down at her.

Dianna looked up at him, a smile on her face. "That you're a kind, loving boy, and even if I don't remember that much about you, my heart still knows, and that is good enough for me," she said.

"I love you, Dianna," said Xander, bringing his face closer to hers for a kiss.

"I love you, too, my love," she said, pressing her mouth over his, both of them locked in a passionate kiss, and knowing in the backs of their minds that they had better enjoy this quiet while they could. After all, as Xander knew all too well, things were about to get hairy, not just for Earth and his friends, but for him as well.

* * *

Well, I hope this wasn't too short. Also, I'm sorry it took so long to update, I had a severe case of writer's block, so I haven't been able to work on this or my other fanfics. I am grateful for your patience, and I hope you are looking forward to the next chapter! 


	6. Chapter 6

**I am sooo sorry it took so long to update, but my mind was in a really deep gutter! Plus, I wanted this chapter to be explosive. I hope I didn't dissappoint**

**CHAPTER SIX: TAMING THE PHOENIX**

Captain Juno stood at the main bridge viewport, watching the Earth below him. He still could not believe that somewhere down there was the very peak of his people's evolution: the Mechanopolan unit XR-4. So far, he knew that scout TK-421 had located the sector where XR-4 was, just before he got himself killed trying to capture him single-handed.

Of course, he considered the scout lucky, mainly because they still had about ten more hours until the Emperor arrived. After all, if he had survived, and Angmar learned of his failure, TK-421 would have been lucky to just be executed. That was one thing that Angmar was famous for: dealing out death to his enemies and failing subjects, in the most painful ways imaginable. Just thinking about some of the things he had done made Juno shudder.

Ensign Ackren interrupted his thoughts. "Captain, I have some news to report. We have a ship dropping out of quantum space in Sector B-3," she said.

Juno raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Ensign?" he asked her. "The Emperor isn't supposed to arrive for another ten hours."

Just then, the hologram of a figure materialized on the gangway. "That is correct, Captain," said the Satsujin officer who had just materialized. "I am the one who has arrived."

Juno took one look at the holographic being, and he felt his blood immediately freeze. "G-G-Grand Admiral Zeitar," he managed to breathe out before his voice failed him.

The hologram smiled in what appeared to be amusement. He was currently seated on an officer's throne that was common on the ships of high officers. Some sort of shadow hid his face, but Juno and Ackren could see his mouth and his shoulder-length brown hair. **(A/N: That description sound a bit familiar to you?)** He was dressed in the spotless white uniform of a Satsujin Grand Admiral; complete with black gloves and boots, a black belt, and golden shoulder covers. His rank insignia seemed to be glowing, emblazoned on the left side of the tunic.

"Why so nervous, Captain Juno?" asked Zeitar in mock surprise. "Are you not happy to see me?"

Quickly gaining some form of composure, Juno replied, "No, not at all, sir! I was just surprised to see you is all!"

"Yes, I have been kept pretty busy, what with that annoying Cluster and all," replied Zeitar, casually waving a hand.

Juno was interested at that. "Pardon me, sir, but what do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right, the Emperor didn't tell you yet," said Zeitar. "I've been commanding the 8th, 9th, and 10th fleets in a major campaign against the Cluster. It seems they have finally become enough of a nuisance that the Emperor has declared martial law against them."

"So, if I am understanding you, you have been launching attacks on the Cluster's territories in an effort to show them that they'd best stay out of our way," said Juno, a faint smile crossing his face as he though of how much he would have liked to be in a major offensive against the Cluster.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Admiral Kailon recently led a hit-and-run assault on their homeworld with the 9th fleet," said Zeitar, his grin widening.

This really grabbed Juno's attention. "You mean to say that our 9th fleet actually attacked Cluster Prime?" he asked. "How did it go, sir?"

"A perfect victory for us, with the exception of some lost fighters, two light cruisers, and minimal damage to several ships," replied Zeitar. "But, enough about me, tell me about how things are going in your search for XR-4."

"Well, it's kind of a mixed bag, sir. We've managed to determine the precise area in which XR-4 may be, but we haven't been able to retrieve him yet," said Juno, a cold feeling rising in the pit of his stomach.

"In that case, it seems like things are going fine," said Zeitar.

Juno was confused. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Simply that the Emperor wants to personally preside over XR-4's capture, so it's good that you haven't caught him yet," said Zeitar, seemingly oblivious to Juno's surprise. "Anyway, I am having a shuttle prepped to bring you and several officers of your choosing aboard the _Derelict_, Captain. I want you to be guests at a formal banquet to commemorate our victories against the Cluster, as well as our eventual capture of XR-4."

Juno stared at the hologram in shock for a few seconds. "Sir, I am deeply honored by this. We'll be waiting in the hanger for your shuttle!"

"Good, then I hope to see you soon," said Zeiter, giving the captain a salute before his hologram winked out.

* * *

"Hey, Jenny, are you okay?"

Jenny looked up in surprise and saw Xander looking at her with concern. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing his cap.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Xander, I was off in my own little world," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"Still in shock about what happened with your Hyper Mode yesterday?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Jenny didn't say anything, but she nodded slowly.

Xander put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Hey, it's all right, Jenny. Anybody with that much power is bound to have these kinds of problems. You can't keep blaming yourself like this," he said.

"Xander, I put my friends and family in danger because I couldn't control my power!" said Jenny. "What if I had had really hurt them, or worse…" She couldn't bring herself to finish.

Xander gave the young girl robot a hug. "Jenny, I have something I think you should know. I haven't even told Dianna about this."

"What is it, Xander?" she asked.

"You know how I told you that the Satsujin is originally after me because I'm so powerful?" he asked her. "Well, this power that I wield isn't something I'm proud to have."

"Why not?" she asked.

Now, Xander was looking upset. "Because the first time I realized I had it…20 million Mechanopolans lost their lives in one moment."

Jenny's eyes widened. "Oh, dear God, are you saying that your powers got out of control and…you killed 20 million people?"

Xander nodded. "Yes, when the Satsujin tried to take over Mechanopolis, I was caught in the middle of the fighting. All I really remember is smoke, screaming, laser bolts flying everywhere, and I was so scared, I started wishing that I could do something, and then…" He paused for a moment before looking her right in the eye. "When my powers finally triggered, the power surge wiped out half of the city where the attack was taking place."

"Xander, that's awful," said Jenny. "I can see why you wouldn't want to tell Dianna about all of this."

Xander nodded. "After that day, I vowed I would never use my powers again for the rest of my life," he said. "Of course, I don't know how much longer I can keep that vow."

"Why not?"

Xander looked at her again, and his expression, coupled with the sound of his voice, chilled her. "Because, Jenny, they are here. They have come."

Jenny's eyes widened as she understood what he was saying. "You mean the Satsujin are here?" she asked.

"Yes, I sensed his presence," said Xander. "Whenever the Emperor or his right hand man are near, I can sense them. The Emperor hasn't arrived yet, but he will be soon. Still, the one I can sense, his right hand, is just as dangerous, even more so in certain ways."

He got up and continued, "That is why I'm going to ensure that it doesn't happen again. I won't let the tragedy of Mechanopolis happen to Earth. I will fight with you and your friends, even at the cost of my life."

"But, what about my Hyper Mode?" asked Jenny. "I don't think I'm ready to use it again, not now or ever. I might just be a bigger threat than a help."

Xander turned to face her and raised her up. "Just hold onto my hand and close your eyes," he said, placing his other hand on her forehead. "I'll show you how to master the powers of the Fire Phoenix, so that it will never endanger your loved ones again."

Jenny obeyed, closing her eyes and standing there as Xander began muttering something to himself in some strange alien language. After a few minutes, he told her to open her eyes. When she did, she found herself in what looked like an ancient coliseum, surrounded by a bluish-pink sky. "Where am I?" she asked out loud.

"I have taken you into my mind, Jenny," said Xander, who was standing next to her. "This is a battle arena based on ruins from Earth, but the location is my home world."

"So, I'm on a virtual Mechanopolis or something," said Jenny, both shocked and impressed. "But, what am I doing here?"

"You are afraid of your power, Jenny," said Xander. "In order to eliminate this fear, you must conquer it the same way I eliminated my fear of my own power."

Before Jenny could say anything, another figure flew in and landed about 20 feet away. "No, it can't be!" gasped Jenny. "It…it's me!"

The other robot, which was indeed an exact replica of Jenny, just glared at her and Xander with lifeless eyes that looked eerily like those of Fire Phoenix.

"Yes, you must defeat her," said Xander. "If you defeat her, I can promise you that the Fire Phoenix will never again conquer you."

"All right, then," said Jenny. "I won't back down from some illusion created in my image. I will defeat her." She charged at the other Jenny at full speed, ready to attack.

The clone Jenny blocked the true Jenny's kick with her arm, then followed up with a roundhouse kick. Jenny ducked under it and attacked with a sweep kick. The clone was caught off guard, but pushed herself out of a fall and into a series of flips. She glared at Jenny before leaping into the air and performing a dive kick. Jenny dodged, but the clone's impact punched a three-foot deep crater in the ground. The two robotic "twins" continued to attack each other in this manner, neither one of them ever gaining an advantage over the other.

"This is crazy!" said Jenny. "She's my exact double, in both strength and speed!"

"She is more than your double, Jenny," said Xander, who stood atop a stone column, his arms folded as he watched the fight. "Just watch what she does now."

The clone broke away from Jenny and landed in a crouching position. She finally showed a facial expression as she gave Jenny a sinister smile. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a tower of flames, and when they died down, she stood…clad in the armor of Fire Phoenix!

"Like I said Jenny, the only way to overcome the Fire Phoenix is to defeat her," said Xander. "Well, there she is, right in front of you."

"You can't be serious!" said Jenny. "Fire Phoenix's power is way beyond mine! How can you honestly expect me to beat her?"

"Power is not strength, Jenny! She may be powerful, but you possess immeasurable strength! Even if you can't fight her directly, you have other ways to fight! Try and outsmart her!" said Xander.

'_What does he mean by outsmart her?'_ thought Jenny as she dodged one of Fire Phoenix's flaming punches. _'I'm not exactly an expert on tactics, and with her speed, she'd probably finish me off before I can think of a plan!'_

Fire Phoenix kicked Jenny square in the gut, knocking her against one of the pillars. Without pausing, she converted one of her arms into the flamethrower and fired a beam of intense flames at Jenny.

"YEEOOWW!" yelled Jenny, managing to dodge, but the flames singed her clothes. "Jeez, I knew that thing was hot, but that was a whole other thing all together!"

_'Wait a minute!' _she suddenly thought. _'Fire Phoenix is a powerful Hyper Mode, but she also has incredible speed! If that's the case, and we're in the environment we're in…'_ Quickly getting an idea, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey, Hot Head! Your momma was a propane torch!"

Fire Phoenix showed no signs of anger, but she took the bait, charging at Jenny. Jenny quickly shot backwards until she was back up against a chunk of a broken wall, making sure it was hidden from Fire Phoenix's view. She stood waiting as the flaming robot came closer…closer…until she knew the distance was right. She goosed her jets, shooting straight up into the air. Fire Phoenix, however, shot straight ahead at the wall, unable to veer away. Her face actually showed a hint of surprise just before she slammed into it headfirst.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to fly angry?" Jenny called down to her.

_'Very impressive, Jenny,' _thought Xander, as he watched with an amused smile. _'Still, you'll need more than that to defeat her. I only hope you realize what you must do before she gets you first.'_

Fire Phoenix rose up out of the debris and glared furiously at Jenny for a few seconds before launching her next attack. She crossed her arms in front of her, then swung them back, releasing a storm of missiles made completely of fire.

"Yikes!" yelled the teenaged robot as she found herself dodging the missiles, which were tracking her like flies on a rib roast. "I didn't know about _that _little feature!"

"Stay focused, Jenny!" shouted Xander. "Don't let her break your concentration!"

Jenny quickly pulled herself together and stared at the missiles as they screamed towards her. "Okay, Jenny, it's time for batting practice!" She quickly deployed a wicked looking curved beam blade from each forearm, gripping them by a handle deployed from the back.

"Sheldon, when this is over, I'm_ really_ going to have to thank you!" she said as she swung each blade, swatting the missiles away and destroying them. Fire Phoenix shot up at her, flames surrounding each of her fists. Unfortunately, Jenny was ready for this and simply glided off to the side and counter attacked with one of the blades. The blade struck home, hitting Fire Phoenix right in the face, shattering her goggles. She screamed in agony, the first noise she had made yet, and began clutching her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" sneered Jenny.

However, her joy was short-lived when Fire Phoenix grabbed her arm and flung her towards the ground. Jenny slammed into the ground, and her blades retracted back into her arms. Not stopping, Fire Phoenix zipped down and smashed her with another dive kick, picked her up, and slamming her with a series of powerful punches, ending with a virtual cannon shot that smashed her up against the wall.

"Smooth move, Jenny," said the battered robot. "All you did was piss her off and make her even more dangerous. Now I'll never beat her."

"Don't be so stupid," said Xander, suddenly appearing right next to her. "Now that she is blinded by anger, her moves are erratic and uncontrollable! This leaves her at a big disadvantage!"

"Xander, I can't even get close enough to launch a decent attack, and her Heat Barrier will repel my projectile weapons!" protested Jenny.

"You're going about this the wrong way, Jenny," said Xander, giving her a knowing look. "You haven't bothered trying to understand just what your advantage is over her."

"What do you mean, Xander?" she asked.

"Think about it, Jenny! What is it that only you possess? What is it that you have, but that she, Fire Phoenix, does not?"

Jenny thought hard, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Fire Phoenix was charging at her, her flaming wings deployed to give her full power. Fortunately, just as she was ready to deliver the fatal blow, Jenny stopped her with a cold stare, fueled by her realization.

"I have it, Xander! The thing that I have, that only I possess…IS MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!" she shouted, and a bright light exploded around her. Fire Phoenix shielded her eyes, but Xander kept his eyes on her, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, this was certainly unexpected," he said as the light died down, revealing that Jenny had just undergone another transformation.

Instead of her tank top, she wore an indigo and gold chest armor with golden shoulder pads, and her lower body armor, once again resembling underwear, was also indigo. In fact, even her hair and leg armor was indigo, as were the arm covers she had gained. On her knees and wrists was a light blue rectangular gem. Golden metal wings were on her back, and on the right side of her head was a single-lens visor that covered her eye. She stared at Fire Phoenix, breathing deeply and flexing her fingers.

Overcoming her shock, Fire Phoenix charged again, ready to deliver a final blow. Unfortunately, she did not succeed.

"I AM XJ-9…CRYSTAL MATRIX MODE!" bellowed Jenny, raising her right hand and aiming it at her charging foe. "EMERALD LASER CANNON!" A green laser beam shot from her hand, hit Fire Phoenix square in the chest, and shot right out through her back. Fire Phoenix hovered there for a minute, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief, before screaming and exploding into a large sphere of flame.

The flames turned into small streams of red, which flew into Jenny's body and were absorbed. Afterwards, Jenny looked herself over, taking in her new look. "I don't believe it!" she said in awe. "I not only defeated Fire Phoenix, but I unlocked my next Hyper Mode!" She turned to look at Xander. "Will I still be able to access this Hyper Mode in the real world?"

"Of course," said Xander. "Everything in this world is directly connected to reality. Still, I am very surprised by this."

"Surprised by what?" asked Jenny.

"It seems that by unlocking Crystal Matrix, you mastered Fire Phoenix, but at the same time, you seem to have complete control of Crystal Matrix," explained Xander. "It's almost as if the two were supposed to be mastered simultaneously, as though mastering Fire Phoenix was the key to unlocking and mastering Crystal Matrix."

"Well, either way, thanks to you, I've grown considerably in strength and power," said Jenny, powering down back to her old self. "After all, something tells me I'll be needing it for what lies ahead."

"You will need it," said Xander, averting his gaze to the ground. "We'll need all we can get of both to survive this."


	7. Dark Intentions

**CHAPTER 7: DARK INTENTIONS**

On board the _Derelict_, Zeitar was standing at the head of a long banquet table. Seated with him were several of the best officers in the Empire. Juno was there, along with Ackren and several members of the bridge crew.

"I welcome all of you to the _Derelict_," said Zeitar with a big smile. "We have gathered not only to commemorate our victories against the Cluster, but our eventual capture of XR-4."

"Hear, hear!" chorused the guests.

"Now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our guest of honor," said Zeitar, gesturing towards a nearby door. The door opened, and when the "guest" entered, the room went dead quiet.

"It seems I arrived earlier than planned, gentleman," said Angmar, his eyes glowing from inside his helmet. "I wanted to surprise you with my arrival, and it seems I've succeeded."

The Emperor snapped his gauntlet-covered fingers, and Elkenah entered in behind him, her head bowed. "I even brought us some entertainment." He took a seat right next to Zeitar, and the other officers took their seats. Turning to Elkenah, he said, "Come now, dear, sing us a song. It will help the food go down easier."

Obediently, Elkenah began to sing a beautiful melody, as beautiful as she was…and just as sad. All she hoped was that her voice did not betray the tears threatening to escape her sorrowful eyes.

After the banquet, everyone was in the _Derelict_'s conference center. Angmar was at the head of the circular table, with Zeitar sitting on his right, and Elkenah sitting next to Zeitar. She was watching the young Grand Admiral with the same fear she gave to Angmar (and with good reason), but he didn't seem to notice, partly because he was completely ignoring her.

"I must protest against this idea," said one officer, namely one of Zeitar's generals. "Until we bring at least a full fleet into the Earth system, we are not in a position to use military force on the planet. They may be primitive, but I've heard that these particular humans are a hardy breed. They may be more dangerous than we realize."

The officer he had spoken to, the female lieutenant from Juno's bridge crew, smiled and shook her head. "The humans may be dangerous to one scout, or maybe a task force, General Craven, but with all due respect, they pose absolutely no threat to a full-sized, battle-hardened Satsujin army."

"What of this 'Global Robotic Response Unit' we have in our reports?" asked Ackren. "I've been able to determine from my studies of Earth that the planet is protected by a highly-sophisticated female battle robot known as XJ-9, although the human populace commonly refer to her as 'Jenny.'"

"So, the planet is guarded by one robot," snorted one of Zeitar's other commanders. "That is nothing for us to worry about."

Juno finally spoke, and although he was lower in rank, he shot a glare at the other officer. "I think it is a problem, especially when this just happens to be the robot who overthrew Queen Vexus' rule of the Cluster three months ago, not to mention she did it practically single-handed."

"Plus, there is a very big possibility that she has aligned herself with some powerful allies," said the lieutenant, and she paused and gave the other officers a dangerous stare, "…Among them, our target, XR-4."

The room became as hushed as death. Not a soul moved as the truth of these words sunk in. These were some of the most hardened officers in the entire empire, but just the very notion that XR-4 might be in leagued with the Earth's defense forces had them nervous. They all had, after all, actually witnessed XR-4's fury with their own eyes, so they knew full well what may very well happen.

"Oh, don't be so worried, gentleman," said Zeitar, grabbing everyone's attention. "Even if this defender of Earth is being aided by XR-4, it does not change the fact that he will soon be in our position, solidifying our position as the universe's greatest intergalactic power." He looked over to Angmar. "Isn't that right, my lord?"

Angmar chuckled as he opened the front of his helmet just enough to get his misty Leviathan Chardonnay to his lips. After taking a quick sip, he closed back up and said, "Of course, Grand Admiral. After all, we are the Satsujin Empire." He stood up and raised his glass. "The most powerful nation in existence!"

The other officers cheered and raised their glasses, their fighting spirit renewed.

Xander shot up in bed, his breathing hard, his heart pounding like a drum, and feeling light-headed. He put a hand over his forehead and tried to calm down as the images from his nightmare replayed themselves:

_"No, Xander, don't do this!" cried Jagger, trying to frantically limp away, his severed left leg still bleeding profusely at the knee._

_Xander made no signs of having heard him, nor did his face change from the terrifying mask of incurable rage as he hurled another laser blast, blowing off Jagger's right arm and leg all at once._

_Jagger screamed in agony and fell before turning around to face the nightmare that had hunted him to this, one of the deepest areas of the planet's core. Whimpering like a child in the dark, he managed to flatten himself against a thick mass of piping, never once taking his eyes off his approaching attacker._

_"How dare you beg," said Xander, his voice seemingly devoid of any soul whatsoever. "How dare you beg for your life, you scum! Not only did you kill thousands of innocent people, and set this planet itself to die, you took the life of your own sister, the one I love! YOU KILLED MY BELOVED, YOU HELLSPAWN OF A ROBOT!"_

_"No, I didn't mean to!" Jagger pleaded desperately as Xander prepared another laser blast…the final blow. "No, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"_

_"The decision is no longer yours to make," said Xander. "Regret your decisions after I send you to the pits of Hell!" Then he fired, right into Jagger's face, and everything vanished in a flash of light._

"I only wish this _was_ a nightmare," he said. "Just like I wish my last battle with the Satsujin was a nightmare. But, I'm afraid these scars are real, and they may haunt me forever."

"Xander, what is it, honey?"

Xander looked down at the concerned face of Dianna, who was lying right next to him. "I'm okay, Dianna. I just had a nightmare," he said, lying back down.

"I know, I heard you talking in your sleep," said Dianna. "That fight with my brother must have really scarred you."

Xander closed his eyes. "It's mostly the fact that I killed him so casually, without any mercy or hesitation. I did it without soul, and now I'm afraid I'll do it again."

Dianna put her arm across his chest and pulled herself close against him. "I'm not worried, because I know you're not really like that. You'll always be the strong, brave, yet caring and sensitive boy I fell in love with," she said.

"Thank you," was all Xander said before taking her in his arms and going back to his much-needed sleep, this time with more pleasant dreams.


	8. Johnny's Big Stand

CHAPTER 8: JOHNNY'S BIG STAND

Hope you all like this chapter. Not only does Johnny get to strut his stuff, he meets a special person. Enjoy!

Back on Earth, Sheldon was sitting in his chair in his room at the Wakeman residence. His arms were laced behind his head, his feet were propped up on the desk, and a relaxed smile on his face. Soft music played from his computer's sound system, threatening to lull him into an early afternoon nap. He wasn't wearing a shirt, instead preferring to enjoy the mid-autumn breeze coming in through his open window.

The sound of someone knocking on his door got his attention, as did the familiar voice coming from the other side.

"Come on in," he called, quickly pulling on a black T-shirt.

Jenny walked in, closing the door behind her. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, Sheldon," she said.

"Nah, I was just being lazy," he said, giving her a hug, which she returned. _'I never actually imagined that I'd be doing this,'_ he thought, relishing the sensation of holding his true love.

Jenny broke the embrace after a few seconds. "Anyway, I came to talk to you about my new humanoid schematics," she said.

"Sure, just ask me anything," said Sheldon, sitting back down.

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing to ask, but…" Jenny paused as a faint blush came across her face. "Am I, you know…fully functional?" she finally asked.

Luckily for her, Sheldon knew what she was asking, and managed to keep a straight face as he replied, "Yes, you are fully functional in _that_ department. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I went over some of Johnny's schematics, and, well, it seems Mom designed him to be-" she made "quote marks" with her fingers-"'fully equipped.'"

"I see," said Sheldon, rubbing his chin. "Hey, speaking of Johnny, where is he?" he asked. "I haven't seen him all day."

"He left earlier this morning to go for a walk," said Jenny. "He should have come back by now, unless he lost track of time. I wonder if he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," said Sheldon. "I mean, what could possibly happen?"

At that moment, Johnny was walking down a quiet sidewalk in town, whistling a tune and not really paying attention to anything. Occasionally, he'd wave and say a greeting to one of the locals, and most of them returned his greeting in a friendly manner. In fact, he was so deep in his own little world, he almost didn't see the girl in the nearby crosswalk, or the car speeding out of control right towards her. Luckily, the squeal of rubber on asphalt snapped him back to reality just in time.

"Dang!" he yelled as he zoomed over and swept the girl up, carrying her out of harm's way. As the car sped past, he could barely make out the look of terror on the driver's face. Obviously, his crazy driving was the result of something scaring the piss out of him. However, he quickly directed his full attention back to the girl he had just rescued.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, setting her on her feet.

She appeared to be about Johnny's age (if he were human), and about four inches shorter. From her eyes, he guessed she was Japanese, and they were a light brown in color. She had long, shiny black hair that hung halfway down her back. She wore a sleeveless green-and-white shirt, white shorts and socks, and green tennis shoes. She also wore a pair of round glasses.

"Yes, I'm okay," she replied, brushing herself off. "Arigato, you saved my life."

"No problem," sounded Johnny, scratching the back of his head, a light fluttering suddenly building up in his stomach. "I'm Global Robotic Response Unit XJ-10, but you can call me Johnny." He held out a hand.

Smiling shyly, she shook it. "I am Stacey Kimiko Langley," she said. "So, you're a robot?" she asked.

"Yeah, fresh out of the factory, so to say," said Johnny. "XJ-9 is my older sister, you've probably heard of her."

"Yes, I go to the same school as she does," said Stacey, pushing her glasses up onto her face. _'I have to admit, he's pretty cute,'_ she thought.

Just then, the cause of the near-collision appeared. Two robots, a male wearing blue-and-red armor, and a female with green hair, a red body suit, and a killer figure, came strolling down the street, wicked smiles on their faces.

"Aww, the human got away," said Excaliber. "I guess he didn't want to play anymore."

"Don't let him get to you," said Serenade, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Humans are so unsophisticated."

"What did I say about touching," said Excaliber, glaring at Serenade's hand, which she removed.

"Hey, you two!" yelled Johnny, grabbing their attention. "Who in the heck are you?"

"We, little boy, are Serenade and Excaliber," said Serenade, "better known as Team Nocturne, proud servants of the Cluster and Queen Vexus!"

_"So, these are the Cluster flunkies that Jenny told me about,"_ thought Johnny. _"Jeez, Vexus may have been dethroned, but she still doesn't know when to give up!"_

"Well, your shenanigans for the day have just been cancelled, folks!" he said, glaring at them with what he believed to be a total warfare look. "I'm Johnny Wakeman, XJ-10, and you two clowns are on my list of undesirables!"

"Wait a second! Are you saying that you're…related to XJ-9?" demanded Excaliber.

"You bet your tin-plated kiester I am!" said Johnny, his eyes locked onto the Cluster agents like a hawk's.

"Well, perhaps I can pay your sister back for humiliating us," said Excaliber, activating his beam blades, "by cutting you to ribbons!"

"Stacey, take cover and stay out of sight," said Johnny, glancing back at the human girl. "I'm pretty confident, but it these two start whipping on me, I don't want you caught in the middle."

"Uh, okay then," said Stacey, running off for some nearby bushes.

"You talk awfully big for a small fry," said Excaliber, slowly approaching Johnny. "I think I need to put you in your place."

"More like I need to put you in yours," said Johnny, not even showing the slightest sign of being intimidated. "More specifically, the scrapyard where all the old Cluster has-beens are hanging out at."

Excaliber simply smirked. "I'm not going to take that from a snot-nosed brat like you. Allow me to educate you!" With that, he charged forward, his blades held behind him in attack position.

_"Okay, just play it cool, Johnny,"_ thought the young boy robot as he watched the other robot charge. _"Stay focused, watch his moves, and when you have a sure opening…STRIKE!"_

Just then Excaliber struck at Johnny, his blow so powerful it smashed a hole into the sidewalk where he had been standing. From where she was hiding, Stacey covered her mouth and gasped in horror, but the feeling was quickly replaced by what transpired next.

"Very, very close," said a completely unharmed Johnny as he appeared right next to Excaliber. "Unfortunately, no cigar!" With blinding speed, Johnny's foot impacted the side of Excaliber's helmeted head, sending him into the lightpost across the street.

Excaliber stood up and glared at the boy robot. "Impossible," he said. "How did you manage to dodge my attack?"

"With how slow you move, I dodged it a week ago," said Johnny, his hands in his pockets. "Plus, your blades are all short-range types, so they have totally lame reach."

"Why you sniveling little-" Excaliber shot forward and began slashing wildly at Johnny, who easily began dodging the swings for a few seconds before deploying his own beam blades. The two robots fought like caged tigers, sparks flying as their blades clashed.

Stacey could not help but watch in awe as her rescuer, Johnny, fought fearlessly against an opponent who he must have known had far more combat experience than he did. She had to admit, that was an admirable trait…and attractive.

"Stacey, get a hold of yourself, baka!" she said to herself. "He may be strong and cute, but he's a robot! What kind of chance do you think you have with him?"

However, Serenade was having completely different thoughts. "Why should Excaliber get to have all of the fun?" she thought, charging up a palm laser. "I think it's time I showed him I'm not a combat-challenged weakling like he thinks I am!

"DIE, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" she yelled as she fired the laser. It screamed right towards the two swordsmen…and seemed to slam Johnny right in the face.

"NO!" screamed Stacey as Johnny went sailing backwards.

Excaliber stared at his partner in shock and disbelief. "Serenade, what in the seven hells are you doing?" he almost screamed at her.

"Just giving you a hand, honey," she said. "I thought it was high time I made my first kill."

"Too bad this isn't that time, lady."

Serenade and Excaliber both wore expressions of shock as they saw Johnny still standing, his right blade held in front of his face in a defensive position, and wearing a glare that would have had Vexus herself crying for her mother.

Trying to fight back the sudden feeling of intimidation, Serenade only made a bigger mistake…by aiming her other palm laser at Stacey while keeping one fixed on him. "How about this little set-up?" she sneered. "You can't possibly attack me now, or I'll roast both of you!"

"Wrong, beeatch," said Johnny in a deadly voice. "You are _dead_ wrong." As if to emphasize, he suddenly struck his left blade to the ground, sending a seismic fissure right at Serenade. Completely overcome by fright, Serenade took the attack dead-on…especially in the face. The female robot fell to the ground, overcome with pain so severe that she couldn't even move, much less cry out.

"I hope you enjoy this experience," said Johnny, his voice unchanged. "Because I sure as hell wouldn't."

He looked back at Excaliber, who was fuming over what had happened to his partner. "Hey, blame her for her stupidity in trying to involve an innocent human," he said. "Don't worry, you'll be joining her momentarily."

"Not if I crush you first, you little bastard!" roared Excaliber as he charged…right at Stacey!

"STACEY!" yelled Johnny as he zoomed towards her in a desperate bid to reach her first.

Stacey shut her eyes and looked away, screaming as Excaliber thrust his blade right at her…only to have Johnny intercept and take the blade in the left shoulder.

"What the-Johnny!" gasped Stacey when she saw what had happened.

Excaliber would have finished the job with his other blade, had Johnny not shoved the other blade through his gut. "You…lucky son of …a bitch," groaned Excaliber before he collapsed flat on his face.

Johnny let go a sigh of relief and leaned up against a tree for support. "Are you okay, Stacey?" he asked her, absently regarding his blood stained silver pullover.

"You…you saved my life three times," said Stacey, a burst of warmth filling her chest. "I…I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Johnny looked at her and smiled. "Seeing you safe and well is enough of a reward for me," he said.

"Well, we'd better get you some help," said Stacey. "You look like your hurt pretty bad."

"Hey, it's no biggy," said Johnny. "Just need a band-aid and a kiss, and I'll be fit as a fiddle."

"Well, I think I can help there," said Stacey as she went up and kissed Johnny right on the cheek.

"Well, uh…thank you," said Johnny, his cheeks turning red. _"You know,"_ he thought, _"this could be the start of something good."_


End file.
